Seahawks Release TE Kellen Winslow Jr.
By Josh Hill
He’s had his attitude questioned since he came into the public eye, and now Kellen Winslow Jr. is on the hunt for his fourth NFL team of his career. The Seattle Seahawks announced that they have released the veteran tight end effective yesterday.
Winslow came to the Seahawks via trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this summer, and his acquisition seemed like a boost to the Seahawks otherwise barren receiving options. But Seattle feels that they can manage without Winslow, as the interesting decisions made by Pete Carroll continue. Seattle is going to roll with a rush heavy attack in 2012 behind Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson.
As for Winslow, it’ll be tough for him to find work after this latest release. He hits a free agent market that includes veteran Chris Cooley who has proven he can be more reliable in the long run than Winslow. The Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins may take a chance with Winslow, but the Dolphins demonstrated with Chad Johnson that talent doesn’t cancel out character.
New England is always an option to take on Winslow and put him behind Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, and Winslow’s height better fits their system than Cooley does. But again, if you’re going for consistency, Cooley is the better option.
But Winslow is a Pro Bowler and some team may find value in him if they can get him at the right price. Winslow went from making $13.3 million with the Buccaneers (that was his remaining contract value) to nothing. He’ll make considerably less than that with whoever picks him up and the price paid for him will ultimately determine his true value to a team.
Character is proving to outweigh talent in the NFL and that’s a move towards a better NFL. But for Kellen Winslow it’s a sign to clean up his attitude because even if he fits the prototype of a successful tight end in the NFL, it doesn’t matter if you’re a tool.