Sidney Rice wasn’t on the field when the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, and it appears he might not be suiting up for Seattle next season, either.
Rice, who played just eight games for the Seahawks this season before tearing his ACL, will likely be cut this offseason, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Seahawks are expected to be very close to the salary cap for 2014, which will be announced in a few weeks.
Rice, 27, is due $9.7 million in 2014, which is a pretty hefty sum for a guy who’s played in just 33 of a possible 48 games in three seasons with the Seahawks. Releasing him would save Seattle $7.3 million against the cap, which would allow them to re-sign key free agents like wide receiver Golden Tate, who said he’d be willing to take a team-friendly deal, and defensive end Michael Bennett.
Rice has battled injury problems throughout his seven-year career, playing in just 81 of a possible 112 games and finishing a full 16-game season just twice (2009, 2012). In three seasons in Seattle, Rice caught 97 passes for 1,463 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Plenty of teams will be in need of wide receiver help this offseason, and, at just 27, Rice would at least make an appealing reclamation project for a few of them.
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Photo via Twitter/@CamPineyPoint
