NFL Rumors: Russell Okung Leaving Seattle Seahawks For Denver Broncos

NFL rumors have been swirling around Russell Okung all week long. Many wanted to see if he was really willing to bolt the Seattle Seahawks, the only team in the National Football League that the veteran left tackle has played for. Choosing to represent himself as an agent, Okung flirted with several teams. None captured his full interest until now. According to ESPN, Okung is on the verge of joining the Denver Broncos, the team that won the Super Bowl earlier this year.

In one of the most intriguing deals in the NFL, Russell Okung signed a five-year contract with the Denver Broncos. The average yearly salary is slated to be $10.6 million. If the full contract plays out, then Okung will have earned more than $50 million during the stretch. However, the wording of the deal actually makes it more like a one-year deal for $5 million. the Broncos can opt out after the season if Okung doesn’t play as well as they hope he would.

Aside from the Denver Broncos, three other NFL teams expressed strong interest in Russell Okung. The New York Giants wanted the former Oklahoma State Cowboys star to be their new right tackle. The Detroit Lions wanted Russell to compete with Riley Reiff and Michael Ola. The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted a replacement for Kelvin Beachum. Since they are so familiar with him, the Seattle Seahawks were hoping that Okung would have stuck around.

One of the reasons that Russell Okung gave for signing with the Denver Broncos is because the team runs a zone blocking scheme. He’s played that style of offense with the Seattle Seahawks for years. Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak brought it to the team from the Houston Texans, where he found tremendous success with Arian Foster. In the zone blocking scheme, offensive linemen are responsible for spaces as opposed to focusing on a particular defensive player.

On the flip side, the Denver Broncos signed Russell Okung because they were looking for a replacement for Ryan Clady. The 29-year-old left tackle is coming off of a torn ACL that robbed him of his season in 2015. Plus, Clady has a $52 million contract. Ryan and the Broncos could not come to terms on a restructured contract, so management is now said to be seeking out NFL teams that would be willing to trade for the former Boise State Broncos star.

While the Seattle Seahawks were hoping that Russell Okung would come back to them, they were prepared to see his departure in free agency. During negotiations, Okung made it clear to the team that he did not want to sign a contract that was drastically less than $48.5 million that he was paid on the previous deal with the Seahawks. Knowing that, Seattle never put a firm offer on the table and started looking at left tackles that are going to be available in the upcoming NFL Draft.

One of the biggest weaknesses for the Seattle Seahawks was their offensive line. Starting quarterback Russell Wilson had to scramble on just about every passing play. Things might be a bit rougher for the Super Bowl winner now that Russell Okung and JR Sweezy are both gone. Sweezy signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in free agency. Seattle signed J’Marcus Webb and Bradley Sowell, but don’t be shocked if the Seahawks spend an early pick in the upcoming NFL Draft to address the issues.

Russell Okung spent six years in a Seattle Seahawks uniform, so the change will be noticeable to both sides. The NFL is a business, so the change had to happen eventually.