When the Seattle Seahawks declined to pick up the fifth-year option on linebacker Bruce Irvin’s contract last year, it led to the real possibility that Irvin would move on after the 2015 season.
However, Irvin indicated Monday that he wants to come back to Seattle and is even open to giving the team a discount in order to return to the Seahawks.
“I would love to be in Seattle,” Irvin said. “…I’m not asking for $100 million. I’m not asking for nothing crazy. I just want to be appreciated and come to work, do my job and, like I said, everything will work out.”
Head coach Pete Carroll said last year after the team declined Irvin’s option that they “expect [Irvin] to be in Seattle for a long time and we will work to get that done.” That process picked up Monday as Carroll and general manager John Schneider asked Irvin if he’d be open to a discount to remain with the franchise that drafted him in 2012.
“I was asked that,” Irvin said. “Pete and John asked me that when I met with them today. If it came to that, I would definitely come back. $3, $4 million? $3, $4, $5 million? I would definitely come back because I’m established here.
“These are my brothers. I honestly can’t even imagine myself playing with anybody else, being in a different meeting room, listening to different pregame speeches. It’s just crazy to me. I would definitely come back if they matched or if it was a little less. I would definitely come back to Seattle.”
While Carroll wouldn’t get into specifics regarding player’s contracts on Monday, he gave a general sense for the team’s plan for the offseason and their desire to bring back the key pieces that have been with the team throughout their recent success.
“I’ll tell you that the guys that have been with us that have helped us become the team we’ve become, we want them back,” Carroll said. “We like our team. We like what our guys, how they contribute, how they fit in, the depth that we have of knowing and understanding they can help us out. And Bruce is certainly one of those guys.”
Golden Tate also told Seattle he would be willing to take a discount with Seattle before signing with Detroit two years ago. Meanwhile, Michael Bennett said “this is not Costco, this is not Walmart” in regards to his free agency plan before taking less money from Seattle than offered by the Chicago Bears to remain with the Seahawks.
A lot can change between now and the start of free agency, but Irvin is grateful for the chance provided to him in Seattle.
“I want to be here,” Irvin said. “I understand the business side of it. If I happen to be somewhere else, I will always have a genuine appreciation for John and Pete for sticking their necks out there and taking me when everybody said I was a reach and had a lot of baggage that came with me. … I will always love these guys. It’s hard, but it’s bigger than football”