The depth of the Seahawks receivers took a substantial hit Tuesday when Pro Football Talk first reported that Sidney Rice tore his ACL Monday night in the 14-9 win against the Rams, and will miss the remainder of the season.
Since signing a five-year contract in 2011 that was scheduled to earn him up to $41 million ($18 million guaranteed), Rice struggled in his third season under Pete Carroll, catching 15 passes for 231 yards while battling injuries.
The loss of Rice, combined with receivers struggling to create separation from defensive backs the past two games, shifts the spotlight back to Percy Harvin.
Seattle last week activated their biggest off-season acquisition off the physically unable to perform list nearly three months after he underwent surgery on his hip. Harvin is practicing, but the club has yet to clear a roster spot so he can play.
Rice, meanwhile, most likely played his last game in a Seahawks uniform. Given his lengthy injury history and the two years remaining on his contract, Seattle could well take the salary cap hit and go forward with wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who replaced Rice Monday night after he sustained the injury.
Rice, 27, is in his seventh year in the NFL after spending the first four with the Minnesota Vikings. His most productive season came in 2009, when he hauled in 83 catches for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns while playing with quarterback Brett Favre.
10 Comments
bye.
Sure wish the team still had Steven Williams right now.
I was thinking that, too. A receiver with size, skills and decent health would be nice right about now. Instead we get Harvin back, who has all kinds of skills but neither size nor good health.
I feel bad for Sidney, but I can think of 18 million guaranteed reasons to not feel too bad. Hope he’s invested it wisely (an annuity would be smart), but I won’t hold my breath. A lot of athletes go through life thinking tomorrow will never arrive and the money will never stop coming in at the rate it is today.
It’s possible the prodigal son, Deon Butler, could be brought back. Last I heard the Chargers cut him before the season stared.
He’s not dead yet. He’s 27. But his big money days are over, with his injury history.
Well, now it’s time for all those Sidney Rice haters to come forward. This is what you wanted, right? When Harvin comes back we’ll have an entire team of short receivers.
Next year’s draft order: OL, OL, WR, OL, OL, WR
Hard to argue.
I don’t think that Rice’s absence will have much of an impact. The loss of Kearse or Tate would have hurt worse.
Where’s the 6-4 red zone receiver in the group?
Losing a proven, veteran receiver like Rice will definitely hurt. Kearse has upside, sure, but to say losing him would hurt more than losing Rice? I don’t think you can definitively say that yet.