After completing a set of free agent visits, Eddie Lacy has agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks.
After the initial wave of free agent signings mostly left running backs out in the cold, the market at the position is starting to ramp up. Eddie Lacy was among the top free agent backs out there, despite back-to-back down seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and he went on a trio of visits in recent days.
The Seattle Seahawks were first on Lacy’s tour, followed by the Minnesota Vikings and a trip to apparently see about a return to the Packers. On Tuesday, he circled back to the Seahawks, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting Lacy has signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with $3 million fully guaranteed.
Lacy was sidelined by an ankle injury after just five games last season but he averaged 5.1 yards per carry in that limited sample, after conditioning issues literally bogged him down in 2015.
The last two seasons makes it easy to forget how good Lacy was in his first two seasons with the Packers. He topped 1,100 rushing yards in both 2013 and 2014, with 24 total touchdowns (20 rushing) and 77 combined receptions.
The Seahawks clearly missed Marshawn Lynch last season, finishing 25th in the league in rushing (99.4 yards per game) and averaging just 3.9 yards per carry (also 25th in the league). Injuries to Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise were big factors in that lack of productivity on the ground, and Seattle has been kicking the tires on multiple fee agent running backs.
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Lacy showed some signs of being “Beast Mode, Part 2” early in his career with the Packers, with some chops as a pass catcher, so if he’s motivated and in shape the Seahawks may see the same potential as a comp to Lynch. All things considered, it’s a calculated bet to find out if Lacy can get his career back on track in 2017.