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Seahawks Rumors: Devonta Freeman Offered Contract Amid Rashaad Penny Injury
May 20, 2020
The Seattle Seahawks have reportedly offered a contract to former Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman amid Rashaad Penny's recovery from a torn ACL.
Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio provided the update during an interview Wednesday with Joe Dolan of Fantasy Points:
According to NFL Media's Mike Silver, Freeman's offer from the Seahawks is worth $4 million over one year. Silver added that Freeman has also "attracted interest" from the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Falcons released Freeman in March, which paved the way for Atlanta to sign former Los Angeles Rams star Todd Gurley to fill the void.
The 28-year-old Florida State product spent the first six seasons of his career with the Falcons, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
He was one of the league's most productive backs in 2015 and 2016. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in both seasons while recording 27 total touchdowns (22 rushing and five receiving) in 31 games.
His numbers dropped off in 2019, though. He tallied 656 rushing yards on 184 carries (3.6 YPC) with just two rushing scores in 14 games. He did rack up 59 catches and four TD receptions, though.
"I try not to get caught up in all of that," Freeman told reporters in December. "I don't do statistics when it comes to football. I'll let y'all do that."
He added: "Sometimes you have to take it however it comes. I just want to be playing right now. I just know that I want to be out there. Learn from it and embrace it. Just learn from your mistakes and try not to let it happen again."
The Seahawks already have their starter at running back in Chris Carson, who accumulated 1,496 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns in 2019.
Their backup job will be up for grabs if Penny is unavailable to start the 2020 campaign, though. Travis Homer, Patrick Carr, Anthony Jones and DeeJay Dallas are the contenders on the roster.
Freeman at peak form would represent an upgrade over the other options, but the Hawks probably want to limit their financial risk in case the other backs outperform him in training camp and the preseason.