Remember when Bruce Irvin was going to bolt for greener pastures to join Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons? Based on comments the Seattle Seahawks linebacker made to Dave Softy Mahler of Sportsradio 950 KJR in Seattle, that’s nothing but a pipe dream for Falcons fans.
Instead, Irvin told Mahler he could be giving the team a huge discount:
https://twitter.com/Softykjr/status/689192442839445504
Now, this could be extremely premature. Coming off a bitter disappointment, losing to the Carolina Panthers 31-24 on Sunday, and leaving the camaraderie of his teammates as they all pack up the locker room, these could be words spoken out of emotion, rather than logic.
Irvin could get at least $5-6 million per year in the open market. Nobody’s going to mistake him for Von Miller or Justin Houston, but there is still so much potential and plenty of gas left in the tank for the 28-year old linebacker.
The past two seasons he’s logged 75 tackles and 12 sacks, and his four-year total for sacks comes in at 22.
Guys who can get to the quarterback consistently get paid in the NFL. Period. If Irvin hit the market there’s a 100-percent chance he would sign a lucrative multi-year deal on a team that would give him a chance to become a featured player on its defense.
No doubt Irvin’s agent will be pushing him hard to test the market and see what he can get.
For now, though, he’s feeling the love in Seattle and can’t think about going anywhere else at this time.
If his convictions hold true and he ends up signing a hometown deal with the Seahawks, then Irvin will make it much easier on general manager John Schneider, who has his work cut out for him to keep all his young talent.