Seahawks reportedly interested in free agent Charles Woodson

The Seahawks are reportedly one of four teams that have called Charles Woodson's representation to discuss the free agent's next destination. According to Josina Anderson, "NFL sources" say "that the Seahawks, the Dolphins, the Jets and the Giants are among teams that have called to discuss" the 36-year old & 8-time Pro Bowler's future.

Now, the Seahawks tend to make it a habit to get involved in pretty much everything - if they're not calling around constantly and getting the lowdown on all the different players available, then they're not doing their jobs. But, despite the supposed interest, and the connection between Woodson and Schneider, this could just be 'exploratory', as NFL.com's Marc Sessler points out. Sessler also notes, not to throw a whole bunch of water on this idea, that Woodson only ranks as NFL.com's 10th-best free-agent safety, below even Patrick Chung.

Carl Poston, Woodson's agent, told Anderson: "I talked to Charles Woodson yesterday and we're discussing possible upcoming visits. There are a number of teams that have expressed interest in him. He is still interested in playing for a contender."

Contender is the key word there, and though I'm not disparaging Miami or New York, my guess is that Woodson's perception would exclude those teams as 'contenders' in 2013. Seattle, as Sessler notes, fits, both because they are a contender and because Pete Carroll has a history of getting the most out of his players, particularly on defense.

Let's not forget 36-year old safety Lawyer Milloy's key role on the Seahawks back in 2010, and his influence on rookie defensive backs Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor that season. Obviously, a lot has changed since then - Seattle's secondary is maybe the best in the NFL now, but as Rocky Raccoon noted in his FanPost on veteran free agents, the mentoring factor that a guy like Woodson brings could help to offset his diminished speed on the field. He might not start, but he might bring a lot of value. "This aspect of signing veteran free agents could arguably be the most important. It appears as though the Seahawks like to have someone capable of holding the role of mentor at each position."

I would agree that each positional group has one or two guys that seem fill this role, and many of them came to the team as 'outside' free agents. Michael Robinson for the offensive backfield. Frank Omiyale and Paul McQuistan seem to be the elder statesmen for the OL, in some ways, and filled this role in 2012. Chris Clemons is a silent but steady leader for the D-Line, both on and off the field, and Clemons clearly took the young defensive ends under his wing, specifically Bruce Irvin, all year. Marcus Trufant played that role for the defensive backs. Hell, vet journeyman Heath Farwell is the unquestioned leader of the special teams return units, and did a hell of a job in that specific capacity.

Regardless - Woodson has undoubtedly lost a step from his Pro Bowl days, but could serve as quality depth both on the outside at corner, deep middle at safety, and as the backup to nickel corner Walter Thurmond, which is obviously a pretty important role, considering WT3's injury history. It will be interesting to see if Seattle wants to carve out a role for him here, and whether or not he'd have interest.