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The Seahawks’ offensive line could be very different in 2021. (Getty)
The Seahawks starting left guard Mike Iupati announced his retirement on Monday after 11 seasons in the NFL.
Related: Seahawks’ Mike Iupati to retire after 11 seasons in the NFL
No one should be surprised. Injuries hampered him during his two seasons with the Seahawks. He missed seven of 32 regular season games.
He spent the 11 years of his career in the NFC West, making three Pro Bowls for the San Francisco 49ers and one with the Arizona Cardinals. He said his body had just had enough in an article by the journal’s spokesperson announcing his retirement.
His announcement paves the way for one of the most important decisions GM John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll have made against the Seahawks. They have two big holes in the middle of the offensive line, and they have to decide whether Jordan Simmons or Phil Haynes are good enough at left guard and whether to re-sign center Ethan Pocic or find another starting center.
Free agency will offer more to the center than the guardian. Corey Linsley of Green Bay is considered the best center in the free agent market and could command $ 10 million a year, if not more. But Alex Mack, Ted Karras, Austin Blythe, Joe Looney and David Andrews are also available, and that doesn’t include crosses that could be cut.
Brandon Scherff is the best goalie, but the Washington football team will find a way to keep him. Joe Thuney of the New England Patriots is next, but there’s a big drop after that.
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The offensive line is fast becoming a big story in the NFC West. Russell Wilson threw the Seahawks’ offensive line under the bus in his post-Super Bowl interviews and said the line needs to be better. The San Francisco 49ers need to find a way to re-sign left-wing tackle Trent Williams and it could cost over $ 20 million a year, which is no easy task with a tight salary cap and a list of ‘long free agents.
The Los Angeles Rams stunned everyone last week when head coach Sean McVay fired offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and hired Stanford running game coordinator Kevin Carberry. Kromer’s departure leaves McVay with just four of his original 2017 staff coaches. The Rams are struggling on the offensive line as well, and they might not be able to afford to re-sign Blythe. Because they’re going to break the cap by over $ 30 million after completing the Matthew Stafford trade, they may need to cut the right tackle Rob Havenstein.
With the Seahawks hiring former Rams game coordinator Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator and former Rams offensive line assistant coach Andy Dickerson as running game coordinator, you might wonder if the Seahawks would be tempted to choose the Blythe or Rams Brian Allen backup center. Both know the offensive line pattern that Waldron and Dickerson bring to the Rams, and they would be well coached by Seahawks offensive line coach Mike Solari.
Solari appreciates size along the offensive line, and the Rams’ pattern needs some good athleticism on the part of the blockers. If the Seahawks improve on the offensive line and the new attack under Waldron allows Russell Wilson to throw faster than the 2.97 seconds he withheld on the ball on average on passing, the quarterback Seattle is expected to have its first under-40 sack season since 2012. Over the past four years, Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo, who have played in systems with the Rams and 49ers similar to what Waldron brings to Seattle, have not. had only one season of 30 bags each.
It is true that Wilson must be less affected. Now that Iupati is gone, the work begins on defining the Seahawks’ offensive line.
Follow John Clayton on Twitter.
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