The Seattle Seahawks have made noise with their moves this offseason, but they’ve been quiet when it comes to their biggest need: the interior of the offensive line.
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There’s a player that would help there that Brock Huard now has his eye on, and it’s one with a connection to Seattle’s new quarterback.
“This would require a trade, and this is to a team that has spent some serious capital on interior lineman – that is the Minnesota Vikings,” Huard said Thursday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “They give (four-time Pro Bowler) Ryan Kelly two years, $18 million, the big center from Alabama that we liked years and years ago up here in Seattle. They obviously give (tackle) Will Fries the top of the market. And they’ve got a center of their own, a guy by the name of Garrett Bradbury.”
The 29-year-old Bradbury was a first-round NFL Draft pick by the Vikings in 2019 out of North Carolina State, and while he hasn’t earned the kind of honors in his career like Kelly has, he’s been a starter since Day 1 with Minnesota. And there’s something to be said for him protecting Darnold in 2024, which was a breakout year for the 27-year-old QB.
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Huard, a FOX football analyst and former NFL QB, likes the idea of Seattle pairing their quarterback with a center he’s already familiar with. He also spoke to how chemistry between those positions, something he experienced himself in college with the UW Huskies and his center Olin Kreutz, can be especially valuable.
“In chatting with a few folks around the league, they said to me, yeah, he’s a guy that Sam Darnold loved,” Huard said of Bradbury. “Sam just loved playing with him last year in Minnesota. And you know what I love? QB-center interaction. I love (the former Seahawks pairing of) Max Unger-Russell Wilson. I love (another former Seahawks pairing of) Robbie Tobeck-Matt Hasselbeck. I loved Olin Kreutz being my center.
“When you find that security blanket, it’s kind of like a pitcher and catcher, quite honestly. With (the Mariners’) Cal Raleigh and these young pitchers, they love working with him. And when you can find a center that knows the system, that can communicate right alongside you, it just takes some of the ease and some of the burden off of you. When you love the way he snaps the ball to you, when you guys are simpatico, it’s a good thing. And you traded for Sam Darnold, and if they can find a way to get a guy that he loves who’s still a a very good athlete a really good fit in this system, I’d find that a win-win.”
ANOTHER UNREAL SAM DARNOLD PLAY ‼️
HE FINDS JUSTIN JEFFERSON FOR THE 39-YARD TD TO GIVE MINNESOTA THE LATE LEAD 👏
(via @Vikings) pic.twitter.com/df2NTGs6XO
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 22, 2024
What would it take to get Bradbury
Bradbury has one season left on his current contract with a $6.064 million salary cap hit, but it’s now a possibility that Minnesota releases him following its moves in free agency on the O-line. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday afternoon that the Vikings plan to release Bradbury if a trade is not worked out.
If the Seahawks wanted to jump ahead in line rather than take a chance on Bradbury coming to them in free agency, a trade wouldn’t be too costly according to Huard.
“It’s going to be like a seventh-round pick or sixth-round pick,” he said.
Huard compared that to the three-year, $42 million deal it cost the Chicago Bears to get former Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman in free agency.
“You didn’t want to spend $14 million (annually) on Drew Dalman. Will you spend a sixth-round pick and pay this guy $1 million with a couple million in incentives? Sure,” Huard said. “So then I can sign (pass rusher DeMarcus) Lawrence, and I can make other moves. Because every move does affect another move.”
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NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero was a guest on the next segment of Brock and Salk, and the Minnesota native shared his thoughts on Bradbury as a Seahawks target.
“I do think that Garrett Bradbury would be a potential option. I would think that the Vikings will have some level of trade interest in him,” Pelissero said. “They did sign Ryan Kelly. I think it’s fair to believe that Garrett Bradbury most likely will have a new home. Right now he’s still on the Vikings roster. There’s no trigger in his contract, so they don’t have to do something right now, but certainly that’s a name that would that would potentially make some sense.”
Hear the full conversations from Thursday’s Brock and Salk in the second half of the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Brock and Salk from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.
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