Report: Duane Brown, Seahawks Engaged in Discussions to End 'Hold In'
Though he reported on time for the start of training camp last month, veteran tackle Duane Brown has yet to participate in a practice as he pursues a new contract. With the regular season opener less than three weeks away, the Seahawks are hopeful the "hold in" will soon be coming to an end.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network on Sports Radio KJR, there has been "some engagement" between Seattle and Brown, who has one year left on his deal and will earn $10 million in 2021. However, these discussions do not appear to be centered around giving the two-time All-Pro a new contract and instead is focused on potentially agreeing to a short-term "sweetener" such as a financial bonus for the upcoming season.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Seahawks remain hesitant to give Brown an extension in large part due to his age. He will turn 36 years old on August 30 and the team would prefer to follow the Rams lead on how they have handled Andrew Whitworth by going year-to-year at this stage of his career rather than handing out multiple additional years.
The Seahawks originally acquired Brown from the Texans prior to the trade deadline during the 2017 season. Since his arrival, the former Virginia Tech standout has continued to play at an elite level, garnering All-Pro honors in 2018 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2017.
After dealing with knee and bicep injuries that limited him to 12 games in 2019, Seattle reduced Brown's practice workload substantially to keep him fresh. The adjustment paid dividends as he turned in one of the best seasons of his career, allowing only two sacks against Russell Wilson and finishing with a top-five pass blocking and run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
Despite that success, however, the Seahawks haven't been keen on the idea of committing to the aging tackle beyond 2021. Brown and Whitworth are the only two starting tackles in the NFL currently who are 34 years old or older and the team doesn't want to overextend a player who has shown signs of his body breaking down, especially with the NFL schedule expanding to 17 regular season games in 2021.
For that reason, while tacking a year onto his current contract isn't out of the realm of possibility, Seattle would be much more inclined to hand over a few million dollars in bonus money to get Brown back on the field. Such a move wouldn't be unprecedented, as general manager John Schneider handed running back Marshawn Lynch a $1.5 million raise before the 2014 season to end his holdout.
In a COVID-era contract move, it's also plausible Seattle could tack on a "void" year to Brown's deal, pushing some of the signing bonus up to 2021 to enhance his pay day for this season.
If Brown agrees to such an arrangement with the Seahawks, he will still be scheduled to become a free agent next March and both sides could revisit his contract situation after the season. In the present, the team would retain a key cog on offense much to the delight of Wilson, who has publicly pined for the return of his blind side protector in recent weeks.
“I think anytime Duane’s not out there, it’s... You always want your star left tackle out there.” Wilson told reporters last week. “So just trusting the process, hoping it works out, because we definitely need him. That would be huge for us. He’s been one of the best in the game, obviously. I’m sure it’ll get figured out, worked out, and that’s what I’m hoping for and wanting.”
The Seahawks certainly want Brown back to keep Wilson upright, but with concerns about age and durability, they want to make sure its on their terms. If throwing an expensive bone to the veteran doesn't suffice, the organization will likely keep playing hardball understanding the player won't turn away $10 million by sitting out during the regular season.
