Report: Seahawks, Cliff Avril agree to deal
Free-agent defensive end Cliff Avril signed with the Seattle Seahawks.(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks continued their offseason haul towards a possible championship by agreeing to a deal with free agent defensive end Cliff Avril on Wednesday, NFL.com reports.
The deal is for two years and $15 million. Avril turned down a three-year, $30 million deal last season. Avril was considered by some as the top free agent in the market.
Avril, who played with the Detroit Lions last season, has 29 sacks, and nine forced fumbles over the last three seasons. In 2012, Avril had 28 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
Avril was given the non-exclusive franchise tag by the Lions, paying him $10.6 million last season.
The Seahawks upgraded their offensive talent by trading for former Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin earlier this week. The team then signed him to a six-year, $67 million contract, with $25.5 million guaranteed.
Cliff Avril has agreed to terms with Seattle, per source.—
Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 13, 2013
Let's look at 9ers and Seahawks in FA so far...
9ers - Lost Dashon Goldson, lost Randy Moss, lost Alex Smith (backup QB), added Boldin.
Seahawks - Added Percy Harvin, added Cliff Avril.
To me it looks Seahawks have upgraded and improved more than 9ers. Can't wait for season to begin and see 9ers and Seahawks go against each other.
niner fans have every reason to worry and be bitter. Hawks lost there early in the year, RW had the training wheels off. Later in the year crushed them like a grape.
With our additons, and their subtractions, game over.
LOL
@BigSchtick And, like every off-season, we get the overly zealous types that believe that Super Bowl is won in March. You know, before the rest of free agency, any trades that have not yet happened, the draft, off-season workouts, training camp, preseason games, sixteen regular season games, injuries, the playoffs, and the actual Super Bowl.
Seahawks have trumped Niners by picking Avril and Percy Harvin. 49ers need to land Revis to get ahead ;)
@bbc Niners were already ahead. Was the postseason that long ago already?
@JoeCabot @bbc Seahawks whooped the Niners last year in their second matchup and niners were lucky the Falcons beat the Hawks on that last second play. Lost Goldson and picked up Boldin vs Harvin and Avril. Hmmm
@Steaksauce Dynamic was not defined as malleable anywhere that I looked. All definitions that I found seemed to fit one-dimensional players like Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson, and Peyton Manning as well as they fit Percy Harvin.
@JoeCabot @Steaksauce Isn't dynamic being maleable, changing oneself because of a different situation? Anyways, multi-dimensional is what I'm getting at. 10/1 rush to receiving yards ratio last year is pretty one-dimentional.
@Steaksauce @JoeCabot @bbc
Niners pick up old Vets because they help you win now and in a couple years they are gone off your books allowing you to keep the R.Wilsons (Keap) of your team or Shermans (Willis) to keep your team in tact. I used the word cast off because all the money Detroit had to sign Avril they let him walk and went and got Bush and 8mil per is overpaying for just a pass rusher tell me when he can stop the other part of the offense like the run. I think Harvin is a great player and wanted the Niners to pursue but Sea. paid a premium for a man that hasn't proven to be healthy. He even sat out of games with Migraine Headaches sounds bad!
@Steaksauce @D1STRB
Yes what do they know there job to to get equal bets on each side so they can make money not lose if they are wrong.
@Steaksauce I get it now. Instead of using an actual definition of dynamic, we are using one that you made up to support your argument for Percy Harvin. Well done. Oh, and there are probably about 32 GMs in the league that would get a kick out of your complaint that Adrian Peterson is the most one-dimensional player in the league.
@JoeCabot Dynamic is being able to multiple things. Run the ball, run options, catch screens, play the slot, go for a bomb, return kicks... and he does all of those things well. Because he can, it makes the defense jittery.
@Steaksauce Pretty good dimension. By the way, what is your definition of dynamic?
@JoeCabot Your guy for most dynamic player in the league is Adrian Peterson who is the most one-dimensional player in the league. I rest my case.
@Steaksauce Finally ran out energy trying to convince us that Percy Harvin is the most dynamic player in the league? You gave up that debate rather easily. Oh, and what am I hating? My god, if you took any of my posts as hate, your skin is rather thin or your definition of hate is as wrong as your definition of dynamic. I don't dislike the Hawks and I am not a 49er fan. Just an observer voicing my opinion. Don't take it all so seriously. It's only football.
@JoeCabot Good luck with your 30 yo Gore and 32 yo Boldin. Sip on that hateraid a bit slower, the night is young.
@Steaksauce I thought that I did. Then I thought that the definition had been changed to mean a player that is not a number one receiver, but can be exciting as a slot guy, is great at returning kicks, has a questionable attitude and history of injuries, although exciting when he is actually on the field. Then I looked up the word, and found that my original definition was correct and that Percy Harvin is still not the most dynamic player in the NFL.
@Jon Trexler @DustyReynolds @JoeCabot @bbc I bet he'll be returning with Washington gone but not all of the time, we still have Tate to do some of that. In Seattle with more weapons than Minnesota, including an elusive QB in the read option game, the defense will be confused on who to cover... that's what Percy brings to the table, confusion. And explosiveness when he has the ball. He's not a #1 deep threat but #1 short threat and runs after catches. It's going to be fun.
@JoeCabot I don't think you understand the word, dynamic.
@Jon Trexler @JoeCabot no one recovers from injuries o_O
@JoeCabot @Steaksauce And oh yah, allowing Cliff Avril to rush the passer while the Legion of Boom blankets receivers will only increase his sack production.
@JoeCabot @Steaksauce Adrian Peterson is the best RB of this generation. Period. But in the words of Bill Clinton, "It depends on what the meaning of the words 'is' is." Dynamic has many connotations. For me I think a dynamic offensive playmaker is a guy you can line up anywhere on the field and he can hit a home run. I imagine Percy lined up in the backfield alongside Beastmode and RW3 running the read-option, split wide, and inside in the slot. The dude will make plays all over the field and will complement an already-budding explosive offense. Is he the most dynamic in the NFL? Maybe not. But he has to scare the hell out of every defense he faces next year.
@Steaksauce @D1STRB Vegas over/under on Vikings wins was 6 games last year.
@Steaksauce @JoeCabot "He was considered for MVP 'til he went down."
"'til he went down" is the key piece there.
@Steaksauce @DustyReynolds @JoeCabot @bbc
Harvin's exciting when he's on the field (which is about half the game, before he gets dinged) and not on the sideline yelling at the HC. Key fumble in the NFC Championship and nowhere to be found in the Vikings's playoff run last season.
Don't get me wrong - the guy's a beast when he's in there, but I was always hoping for a bit more from him. He's certainly not a #1 deep threat type of receiver. Will Seattle have him returning kicks if they're paying him over $10 million a year?
@Steaksauce Vegas is in the money making business & since some team will win the Super Bowl every year, they are also in the business of minimizing losses. Since there was likely a bunch of Seattle money likely to follow last year's success and their offseason moves, the odds were lower so losses would be minimized if the Seahawks turn out to be this year's winner. Just like they would go up if Russel Wilson gets injured in training camp. Most dynamic? I'll start with a guy named Adrian Peterson.
@JoeCabot @Steaksauce They make money regardless of what a team's odd to win is. Just cause they are at the top doesn't mean vegas makes more money. Vegas ranks them well.
And the most dynamic player in the NFL award goes to? Bush? He doesn't catch enough. Jaquizz? Pretty close but Harvin is a beast physically compared to him. Not sure who else. Maybe Tavon Austin coming in this year.
@Steaksauce Percy is a dynamic player. Most dynamic in the NFL? Hardly. Lots of players are considered for the MVP in September, October, and November.
@Steaksauce Vegas is not in the business of picking winners. Oddsmakers are in the business of making money. They know how kneejerk NFL fans can be and simply changed the odds knowing that there would be money coming in on Seattle.
@baseballcj3 The Seahawks have a good thing going but you guys have to quit living on one game in week 15 last year. Bottom line is the bottom line, and while the Niners may have lost the Super Bowl, they were the position to lose the Super Bowl, something the Seahawks cannot say.
@D1STRB After Harvin was signed, Niners and Hawks had the same odds for SuperBowl by Vegas. But, what do they know.
@JoeCabot He was considered for MVP 'til he went down. Watch this and tell me he ain't so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBC2tvLqmA0
@Steaksauce Percy Harvin was not even the most exciting and dynamic player on his own team last year, let alone in the NFL.
@DustyReynolds @Steaksauce @JoeCabot @bbc Yah, sign Ed Reed. Fine by me. Keep getting older. Keep signing established players who will be soured by Jim Harbaugh's continual bitching on the sideline when they lose twice during the regular season to the Hawks. How'd the niners do in the Superbowl? How bout the last time they met the Hawks? I forget...
2 years/15MM is overpaying? For a premier pass rusher? Okay...
Seahawks are a great team and are building nicely. But they got a long way to go to catch the niners. NFC West is beastin.
@DustyReynolds @JoeCabot @bbc I like the over-confidence but you can't build a dynasty with a huge roadblock like the Hawks! Harvin is THE most exciting and dynamic player in the NFL and Avril was considered top 5 Free Agent in everyone's lists, #1 on SI: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130308/nfl-free-agency-top-50-free-agents-peter-king/#all $15M for 2 years is not overpaying, buddy, that's a damn good bargain. And by the way, 9'ers are building a dynasty with old pickups and Boldin, gonna get Reed and Asomugha? haha You build a dynasty with young talent like the Hawks are loaded with. Gonna be a great season!
@Steaksauce @JoeCabot @bbc
The Niners went to the Superbowl and beat the team that beat the Seachickens by the way I like Boldin more than Harvin at least I can count on Boldin being on the field and makes half the price. Oh and Niners have all their draft picks so they can easily trump overpaying for someone else's cast off (Avril) while the Seachickens are building to beat the Niners, the Niners are building to become a dynasty. Who I would like the Niners to get is E. Reed since we lost Goldson. But the Niners are so far in the lead over the other NFC west foes we don't need to counter anyones moves.