Seahawks non-tender John Ursua, three others

The official start of the 2022 NFL League Year Wednesday at 4 PM New York Time marked the time when players who had agreed to terms on contracts with teams during the legal tampering period could officially execute those contracts. In addition, the start of the new league year also marks the deadline for teams to extend contract tenders to exclusive rights free agents and restricted free agents or see those players become unrestricted free agents.

Reports emerged several days ago that the Seattle Seahawks had extended an original round tender to RFA offensive lineman Phil Haynes, but the Hawks had a total of three RFAs on which decisions were required this offseason. That said, Haynes was the only one of the three that the team deemed worthy of a tender.

This, of course, means both offensive lineman Kyle Fuller and cornerback Bless Austin are now free to sign with any team in the league. Fans are not likely to be too distressed at the thought of potentially losing Fuller, while there are likely some who are hoping that Austin could return. Austin, of course, cleared waivers last September after being waived by the New York Jets at final roster cuts, and was on the market for nearly a week before signing with Seattle.

As for their ERFAs, the Seahawks tendered all of their ERFAs, with the exception of wide receiver John Ursua and cornerback Gavin Heslop. Ursua and Heslop both suffered significant injuries during the 2021 season, and it is possible that either of them could return once they are fully recovered, or they could look to stay in the NFL with another team.