The Seahawks Thursday re-signed running back Christine Michael, who became an unrestricted free agent after Seattle failed to tender him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent March 9. Michael, 25, helped fill in late last season for Marshawn Lynch and rookie Thomas Rawls while they recovered from injuries.
Terms of Michael’s agreement have not been reported.
The Seahawks drafted Michael out of Texas A&M in 2013 (second round, No. 62 overall), but he never developed as the Seahawks hoped. After limited playing time in his first two seasons, Michael went to Dallas in September in a trade. The Cowboys cut Michael in November and he signed with Washington, which released him in December.
In a dire situation, the Seahawks brought backMichael. He appeared in three games, responding with 192 yards on 39 carries, including 71 yards on 20 totes in Seattle’s wild card victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Michael posted a career-high 102 rushing yards at Arizona Jan. 3 in the regular-season finale.
“I think he’s more humble than he was,” coach Pete Carroll said in January.”He’s just done a marvelous job in a very short time. We have nothing but the highest of expectations. This is a classic example of if you just keep hoping and you stay with it, and you give guys chances, that sometimes they come right through for you.”
With Lynch retired, Michael is currently slated to back up Rawls, recovering from a broken ankle.
SEAHAWKS FREE AGENT TRACKER
Unrestricted free agents retained
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9 | Ahtyba Rubin | DL | 2.6M | 3 years, $12M, $5.5M guaranteed |
| Mar 9 | Jeremy Lane | CB | 660K | 4 years, $23M, $11M guaranteed |
| Mar 10 | Jermaine Kearse | WR | 2.3M | 3 years, $13.5M, $6.3M guaranteed |
| Mar 11 | Jon Ryan | P | 1.5M | 4 years, $10M (1M annual raise) |
| Mar 16 | Christine Michael | RB | 208K | Contract details not disclosed |
Unrestricted free agents lost
| Date | Player | Pos | New Team | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9 | Bruce Irvin | LB | Raiders | 5 years, $37M, $19M guaranteed |
| Mar 9 | Brandon Mebane | DT | Chargers | 3 years, $13.5M, $5.5M guaranteed |
| Mar 9 | J.R. Sweezy | G | Bucs | 5 years, $32.5M |
| Mar 9 | Ricardo Lockette | WR | None | Seahawks declined to offer, now FA |
Remaining unrestricted free agents
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | 2015 Season/Skinny |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| —– | Russell Okung | T | 4.8M | 2010 No.1, 15 starts, 2 in playoffs |
| —– | Tarvaris Jackson | QB | 1.3M | 33 in April, mopped up in 4 games |
| —– | Michael Morgan | LB | 750K | 14 games with 2 starts |
| —– | Will Tukuafu | FB | 745K | 14 games, 1 touchdown |
| —– | Demarcus Dobbs | DE | 745K | 11 games, no starts |
| —– | Fred Jackson | RB | 870K | 16 games, 2 rec. TDs |
Unrestricted free agents added
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Team | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14 | Bradley Sowell | OL | Cardinals | 1 year for $1.5M |
| Mar 14 | Sealver Siliga | DL | Patriots | 1 year for $1.4M |
| Mar 15 | J’Marcus Webb | OL | Raiders | 2 years, $6.25M, $2.5M guaranteed |
Restricted free agents
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7 | Patrick Lewis | C | 585K | Tendered $1.67M |
| Mar 7 | Cooper Helfet | TE | 510K | Tendered $600,000 |
| Mar 9 | Alvin Bailey | G | 585K | Received no offer; signed with Clev. |
| Mar 9 | Derrick Coleman | FB | 585K | Seahawks declined to offer, now FA |
| —– | Nick Moody | LB | 413K | 3 games, no starts |
Exclusive rights free agents
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | Skinny |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 6 | Eric Pinkins | LB | 180K | Tendered; agreed March 15 |
| Mar 7 | DeShawn Shead | DB | 660K | Tendered $760,000 |
| Mar 8 | Marcus Burley | CB | 510K | Tendered $600,000 |
| Mar 8 | A.J. Francis | DT | 6.6K | Tendered $600,000, signed |
| Mar 8 | Jesse Williams | DT | 393K | Waived; never played |
| Mar 9 | Steven Terrell | CB | 600K | Tendered |
| Mar 9 | Moh. Seisay | CB | 333K | Tendered |
Additional Transactions
March 15: Released long snapper Clint Gresham, who had been with the Seahawks since 2010. Gresham signed a three-year, $2.7 million contract extension a year ago and his release will save $660,000 against the cap in 2016.
3 Comments
Smart move. No guarantee that Rawls will return at the level he was playing at before his injury. I thought Paul Richardson would return and he couldn’t. Also no guarantee Fred Jackson returns though I hope he does.
wait, you want Fred Jackson back?? What on earth for?? He’s the slowest RB in the NFL. So painfully irritating to watch