Devonta Freeman remains a free agent after he and the Falcons parted ways earlier this offseason.
Just two years into a five-year deal, Freeman suddenly found himself unemployed, and he’s unlikely to attract anything near the deal he once signed to stay in Atlanta. He is attracting interest, though, and according to NFL Network’s Michael Silver, the Seattle Seahawks have offered Freeman a one-year deal worth up to $4 million.
The Eagles and Jets have also demonstrated interest in the services of Freeman, Silver added.
Seattle’s running back situation is interesting. The Seahawks should be led by Chris Carson, while Rashaad Penny’s health status is less certain (Silver reported he’s likely headed to the PUP list). Travis Homer will also be back and will welcome fourth-round pick DeeJay Dallas to the Pacific Northwest.
That’s a decent number of runners already, but Seattle keeps exploring its options, with Silver reporting Carlos Hyde is also a possible pickup. C.J. Prosise also lingers as a potential retention, though he’s currently not under contract. And even Marshawn Lynch’s name was tossed around in rumors about a potential reunion.
Freeman would be better than either of those veteran choices, provided he’s healthy. At 28 years old, Freeman should still have some good football left in him, even if he didn’t look anything like the running back the Falcons once made a significant effort to retain.
He’ll also apparently have to play for a much lower salary, as the $4 million reported would be less than half of what he was making on average in Atlanta. For comparison’s sake, a fellow star running back of just a few years ago, Todd Gurley, received a one-year, $5.5 million deal to replace Freeman in Atlanta. That’s still less than the dead cap space Atlanta will carry for cutting Freeman ($6 million).
It sounds as if the Seahawks are kicking the tires of plenty of options as they look to strengthen their running back room. We’ll see if Freeman lands there or elsewhere.