Seattle Seahawks sign Mike Iupati: Grade, reaction and more
By Chris Wurtz
After a long-tenured guard left in free agency, the Seahawks replaced him with an NFC West journeyman who’s been around the block a few times.
Guard J.R. Sweezy was a mainstay on the Seattle Seahawks offensive line anchored a mini-dynasty in the mid-2010s. He left for the Buccaneers in free agency in the spring of 2016, and after an injury-riddled tenure in Tampa Bay, re-signed with Seattle on a one-year deal in 2018. Well now, he’s gone again, having signed a two-year contract with the division rival Cardinals.
The Seahawks then completed the ultimate offensive line swap, immediately signing Arizona guard Mike Iupati away from the Cardinals on a presumably cheap, one-year deal. Iupati will be reuniting with offensive line coach Mike Solari, who coached the four-time Pro Bowler for five years with the San Francisco 49ers from 2010-2014.
Interestingly enough, this is Iupati’s third team — all from the NFC West. He’s now played for the 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks.
Contract Details
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo first reported the one-year deal between the Seahawks and Iupati. The financial terms of the deal have yet to be announced.
National Reaction
Here's why I think the #Seahawks signed Mike Iupati:
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) March 14, 2019
- Familiarity with OL coach Mike Solari: Played with him for 5 years in SF
- Great run blocker (when healthy) in a run-first scheme
- Veteran (probably) cheap contract based on injury history
Looks like the #Seahawks guards next year will be D.J. Fluker and Mike Iupati. A lot of size. And a lot of injury concerns.
— 12th Man Rising (@12thMan_Rising) March 14, 2019
I thought the Mike Iupati deal might spell the end of G D.J. Fluker in Seattle but no. Source says the #Seahawks are finalizing a two-year deal for Fluker. So their guards this year will be a couple of former first-round picks in Iupati and Fluker.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 14, 2019
Very happy to see D.J. Fluker back with the #Seahawks. Brought a nasty mentality.
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) March 14, 2019
Him paired with Mike Iupati is going to make the Chris Carson + Rashaad Penny combo really fun to watch next year! https://t.co/hHXE7IyUpJ
Couple things of note on Mike Iupati, who's signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks per @MikeGarafolo: He's exclusively played left guard. Seattle has an opening there after losing J.R. Sweezy. Iupati's tenure in SF (2010-14) coincided with that of Mike Solari, his new OL coach
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) March 14, 2019
If Iupati can stay healthy – and that’s a huge if – this could be a home run of a deal for the Seahawks. Iupati is already very familiar with the situation and scheme in Seattle, as he played under Solari on a dominant 49ers offensive line in the early 2010s.
The specific financial details of the contract are yet to be released, but it’ll likely be a cheap veteran deal for a late-career guy just looking for the best situation. Iupati is a better run blocker than pass blocker, and the Seahawks are obviously a run-heavy team. Last season, Seattle led the NFL in rushing attempts and rushing yards, both by a wide margin.
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Even if Iupati doesn’t stay healthy, it likely won’t have cost Seattle much to get him. And if he does, the upside is there to bring last year’s dominant offensive line to even greater heights.