Jamaal Charles presents a potential “luxury signing” for the Seahawks
By Matt Conner
With news that Jamaal Charles will be visiting the Seahawks this week, we asked Keith Myers of 12th Man Rising to tell us about his potential fit.
On Monday, Adam Schefter broke the news that Jamaal Charles had officially scheduled a visit to Seattle to visit the Seahawks after word of some “mutual interest” had already leaked.
Jamaal Charles will be in Seattle Wednesday and Thursday to visit Seahawks, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2017
Since the time of their rumored interest, Seattle has also made it clear that they’re not interested just yet in settling down. They’ve been visiting with several other running backs, including Eddie Lacy and Adrian Peterson, both of whom have already been in town for visits. Latavius Murray is also rumored to be next up on the list.
Since Charles, the Chiefs all-time leader in rushing yards, faces serious competition for the job, we wanted to see what the Seahawks were really thinking about adding the injured yet talented veteran. Keith Myers of 12th Man Rising, FanSided’s Seahawks blog, graciously answered our questions in an attempt to better understand the potential relationship at work.
How seriously do you think the Seahawks are about adding Charles? Are they kicking the tires or is it more serious?
The Seahawks are definitely interested. They’ve been meeting with every RB on the market, including Adrian Peterson, Latavius Murray and Eddie Lacy. Charles is the best of the group provided that he’s healthy.
That is a big “if” though, so they’ll want some protections built into his contract in case he isn’t able to play. I suspect that is why this isn’t done, and also why the team is continuing to look at their other options.
What is the current need in the Seahawks backfield?
They want a veteran back to add to the mix. They really like what they have in CJ Prosise, Alex Collins and Thomas Rawls, but all of them are very young. The Seahawks want to get some veteran leadership in the RB room to help the young guys develop.
The Seahawks aren’t looking for a guy to carry the ball 20+ times per game. They’d rather give their youngster most of those carries. Ideally they want someone who will average around 8 carries and 15 snaps per game.
Does this feel like a luxury signing for the team?
It is. The Seahawks have a trio of young guys who have talent. This is also a good draft for the RB position. I get why they don’t want to get younger by adding another rookie to the mix, but it does seem like a bad year to commit a lot of cap space to a veteran runner.