Once considered among the top wide receivers in the NFL, free agent Sidney Rice now apparently has only one team interested in his services: his former team, the Seattle Seahawks.

According to a comment from ESPN Carolina Panthers reporter David Newton, “no team other than Seattle remains interested” in signing the former Pro Bowler. The Seahawks released Rice on Feb. 28, saving the club $7.3 million in salary cap space by parting ways with one of the biggest free-agent acquisitions in franchise history, but he’s attracted little buzz on the open market.

Bringing the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Rice back to Seattle had been rumored as a possibility soon after his release, but with teams like the Panthers, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets reportedly interested in the 27-year-old wideout, a reunion in the Emerald City seemed just as likely to fail as to succeed. But Newton’s comment as part of his Saturday mailbag seemingly took Carolina — and all other NFL franchises outside of Seattle — out of the picture.

An obvious major concern for teams is Rice’s injury history. Rice missed eight games in 2014 after tearing his ACL in a Week 8 win at St. Louis, and that was by no means an anomaly in his career with Seattle. A 2007 second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings — where he made the Pro Bowl in 2009 — Rice signed a five-year, $41 million deal with the Hawks prior to the 2011 season. But he was a disappointment in three years with Seattle, missing 15 games and putting up receiving numbers that failed to justify his huge contract. He enjoying his best season in 2012 when he started all 16 games, racking up 50 receptions, 748 yards and 7 touchdowns.

The Hawks have a definite need at wideout, losing not only Rice in the offseason, but also free agent Golden Tate — 2013’s leading receiver — after he signed with the Detroit Lions. Bringing back Rice at a reasonable price could provide the Seahawks with a respected veteran and good locker room presence who knows offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s system. Rice played under Bevell at both Seattle and Minnesota.

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