There were plenty of trade rumors indicating the Seattle Seahawks would trade Bruce Irvin to the Atlanta Falcons leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft.
While that ultimately didn’t happen, the Seahawks declined Irvin’s fifth-year option (which led to a Twitter rant) and the former 2012 first round pick is convinced he’ll be in the ATL next year.
“I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready,” Irvin told BlackSportsOnline.com after the Atlanta Hawks’ win over the Washington Wizards Wednesday night.
“Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that,” Irvin said when asked if he’d return to Seattle if the team offered him a big contract before he’s scheduled to hit the open market next spring.
Irvin grew up in Atlanta and new Falcons coach Dan Quinn was his defensive coordinator in Seattle the past two years. And despite landing Clemson OLB Vic Beasley with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Falcons need to continue to beef up their pass rush.
Irvin emerged from a rotational edge rusher role to a hybrid every-down asset last season, serving as the strong-side linebacker on run downs and explosive rusher on pass downs.
Through 15 games (13 starts) in 2014, he recorded 37 tackles with 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
If he’s traded to the Falcons or signs with the team as a free agent next March, he’ll likely play the same role in Atlanta’s defense, with Vic Beasley serving as the weak-side Leo.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times points out that the Seahawks may have already found potential replacements for Irvin in Kevin Pierre-Louis, Eric Pinkins and 2015 second-round pick Frank Clark.
According to Condotta, the Seahawks declined Irvin’s fifth-year option primarily due to salary cap issues.
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