Report: Jags have best chance at Seahawks LB Bruce Irvin

Photo: Stephen Brashear, Associated Press Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Bruce Irvin pressures Arizona...

Former Seahawks defensive coordinators Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn seem poised to battle for the services of their former pupil, Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin.

Bradley, entering his fourth season as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Quinn, who went 8-8 in his first year in charge of the Atlanta Falcons in 2015, are both set to pursue the 28-year-old Irvin when free agency kicks off next week.

Both teams are desperate for pass rushers, but Bradley's Jaguars seem to be the frontrunners for Irvin's services.

Jacksonville has over $40 million more in cap space than Atlanta, and on Tuesday they hired personnel assistant DeJuan Polk away from the Falcons, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Polk should be able to give the Jags inside information on Atlanta's plans to go after Irvin and other free agent targets.

ESPN's John Clayton estimated Wednesday that the former 2012 first-round pick could command about $9.5 million per year on the open market, but CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora later tweeted that number could be much higher.

NFL execs I know would do cartwheels to land Bruce Irvin anywhere near $9M/year some suggesting FWIW. price will be significantly higher — Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 2, 2016

Seattle selected Irvin with the No. 15 overall pick in 2012, when he set a franchise rookie record with 8.0 sacks. He transitioned from a pass-rushing end to outside linebacker in his second season, developing into a solid all-around player, but never approaching the sack numbers he put up in his rookie campaign.

The Seahawks declined his fifth-year option of his rookie contract last offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent in March. Last offseason, Irvin told a reporter he planned to play for his hometown Falcons in 2016 before backing away from those comments.

After the season, Irvin said he understood the business side of the league, but would be open to taking a "hometown discount" to stay in Seattle instead of getting every dollar he could on the open market.

"If it came to that, I would definitely come back," Irvin said. "I'm not asking for $100 million. I'm not asking for nothing crazy. Just want to be appreciated. I just come to work and do my job, and like I said, everything will work itself out."

Related: Seahawks 2016 offseason questions

1. Whither Marshawn?



After an injury-ravaged 2015 season, and sporting a salary cap number of $11.5 million for 2016, it's all but a foregone conclusion that the Seahawks will move on from "Beast Mode" this offseason. Cutting or trading Lynch will save Seattle $6.5 million against the cap in 2016 and $10 million in 2017, the final year of a two-year extension he signed in March. Given that Lynch is coming off the first surgery of his illustrious career and his repeated clashes with management, perhaps a better question than whether or not he returns to the Seahawks next season is whether Lynch has played his last NFL game, period.



Update: Lynch announced his retirement via Twitter on Feb. 7. His decision to walk away from the game was subsequently confirmed by his agent. less 1. Whither Marshawn?



After an injury-ravaged 2015 season, and sporting a salary cap number of $11.5 million for 2016, it's all but a foregone conclusion that the Seahawks will move on from "Beast Mode" this ... more Photo: Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery, Getty Images Photo: Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery, Getty Images Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Report: Jags have best chance at Seahawks LB Bruce Irvin 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

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