http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/football/article/Report-Former-Seahawks-OT-Russell-Okung-to-hit-10954260.php
Report: Former Seahawks OT Russell Okung to hit open market
Updated 10:42 am, Thursday, February 23, 2017
Offensive tackle Russell Okung of the Denver Broncos is introduced to the game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
lessOffensive tackle Russell Okung of the Denver Broncos is introduced to the game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin
... moreRussell Okung of the Denver Broncos watches from the sideline during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
lessRussell Okung of the Denver Broncos watches from the sideline during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty
... moreSeattle Seahawks tackle Russell Okung sits on the bench during the second half of an NFL wild-card football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Seattle Seahawks tackle Russell Okung sits on the bench during the second half of an NFL wild-card football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
There's another veteran offensive lineman about to hit the free agent market, and it's one the Seahawks know very well.
According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, the Denver Broncos will decline their multiyear contract option on tackle Russell Okung after signing him last offseason. The 29-year-old started all 16 games at left tackle for the Broncos last season, but Denver decided to move away from him rather than picking up the four-year option that would have guaranteed him nearly $20 million over the next four seasons.
The move had been widely expected and adds another veteran tackle to the open market, where Okung will join the recently released Ryan Clady and Kelvin Beachum. Two-time Pro Bowler Braden Albert was reportedly going to join them pending his release by Miami, but the Dolphins instead shipped him to Jacksonville for a seventh-round pick.
Okung became the first Seahawks draft pick under head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider when Seattle selected him No. 6 overall out of Oklahoma State in 2010. The 6-foot-5, 307-pounder started 72 games over the next six seasons in Seattle, including a 2012 campaign that earned him the first Pro Bowl berth of his career, but he missed 13 games due to injury from 2013 to 2015 and underwent surgery for a serious shoulder injury suffered in last year's playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Schneider reportedly made a strong effort to retain Okung's services last year, but acting his own agent, Okung bet on himself, hitting the open market and eventually agreeing to an unconventional one-year, $5 million deal with Denver that included the four-year, $48 million option with $19.5 million guaranteed.
Okung was probably the second best player on a Broncos offensive line that struggled mightily in 2016, ranking 38th among the league's tackles in 2016 according to Pro Football Focus, but the option was apparently too rich for John Elway's blood, meaning Okung will be an unrestricted free agent again on March 9.
When healthy, Okung is considered a solid, balanced left tackle who is particularly good in the run game. But after his Pro Bowl 2012 season, he missed eight games in 2013 with a toe injury, which limited his effectiveness. He then played much of the 2014 season with a torn shoulder labrum, and missed two games after suffering a chest injury in a Week 15 win over San Francisco that had him coughing up blood on the sidelines.
Seattle will likely be looking to upgrade its tackle position after restricted free agent Garry Gilliam, unrestricted free agent Bradley Sowell and undrafted rookie George Fant ranked 71st, 74th and 78th, respectively, out of the 78 tackles graded out by PFF during the 2016 season.
Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.
