Seattle's silence says Marshall's move unlikely
Date: Wednesday, March 10 @ 08:50:52 EST
Topic: Seahawks
Mike Klis, The Denver Post
As the "Silence from Seattle" continues, the message from Puget Sound reverberates all the way to the Rocky Mountains.
The more time passes without the Seahawks submitting an offer sheet, the more they are telling the Broncos they do not want star receiver Brandon Marshall at the expense of the No. 6 overall draft pick.
As a first-round tendered, restricted free agent, Marshall was the Seahawks' guest last weekend in the Seattle area. He flew out there by private jet, then traveled by seaplane to the Seahawks' headquarters, where the team's brass awaited on the dock for a welcoming handshake.
Marshall told friends that as he flew past Seattle's Qwest Field, the video board carried the message "Welcome Brandon Marshall."
An NFL organization does not lure a college coaching icon, Pete Carroll, from USC by going second class.
More than a sterling reputation, however, the Seahawks need wins. In the two years since Mike Holmgren proclaimed himself a lame duck, Seattle has posted a 9-23 record. Marshall and his 100 catches a year would figure to help Seattle regain its winning tradition, but so do first-round draft picks.
The Seahawks have two this year — No. 6 and No. 14 overall. Rules stipulate that if the Seahawks sign Marshall to an offer sheet, they would have to compensate the Broncos with their original, first-round draft pick, which is the sixth pick in the April 22-24 draft.
So far, the Broncos are not willing to budge from getting back a first-round pick in return for Marshall. And so far, Seattle isn't budging back.
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_14644166
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