One of many large offseason query marks for the Seattle Seahawks is at off-ball linebacker. After Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton began for the overwhelming majority of the 2022 season, Brooks is ready to spend the vast majority of, if not all the, offseason recovering from knee surgical procedure, whereas Barton is slated to hit free company. Including in that Tanner Muse is unsigned as a restricted free agent, which means not one of the gamers on the place who noticed significant snaps throughout the 2022 season are beneath contract for 2023.
Nevertheless, one participant on the place who’s beneath contract for the upcoming season is 2019 fifth spherical choose Ben Burr-Kirven. Seattle followers haven’t seen BBK on the sphere since Week 2 of the 2021 preseason, when a hyperextended knee landed him on injured reserve. Then, on the eve of the Seahawks opening coaching camp in 2022, the Hawks positioned him on the reserve/Bodily Unable to Carry out record.
BBK touchdown on the reserve/PUP record on the eve of coaching camp did two issues, the primary of which was to finish his 2022 season earlier than it ever began. Particularly, a participant who’s positioned on reserve/PUP previous to coaching camp is, by league guidelines, out for the 12 months. As well as, although, what BBK spending everything of the season on the PUP record then did was to outcome within the not often used state of affairs spelled out by Article 20, Part 2 of the 2020 Collective Bargaining Settlement. That part is as follows (bolding added for emphasis):
Part 2. Bodily Unable to Carry out: Any participant positioned on a Bodily Unable to Carry out record (“PUP”) can be paid his full Paragraph 5 Wage whereas on such record. His contract won’t be tolled for the interval he’s on PUP, besides within the final 12 months of his contract, when the participant’s contract can be tolled if (i) he’s nonetheless bodily unable to carry out his soccer companies as of the sixth common season recreation; and (ii) he’s not reinstated to the Membership’s Lively/Inactive Record throughout that common season or postseason. For the avoidance of doubt, if the participant returns to follow, however isn’t reinstated to the Membership’s Lively/Inactive Record throughout that common season or postseason, his contract will toll.
Breaking down what this portion of the CBA means with out legalese is that since BBK was within the remaining season of his contract and spent everything of that remaining season on the PUP record, the final 12 months of his contract tolls and he’s beneath contract for 2023 for the very same phrases as for 2022.
Thus, whereas it’s actually unlikely that BBK can be an enormous portion of the reply at off ball linebacker for Seattle in 2023, if his knee is wholesome he ought to have an opportunity reclaim not less than reclaim his position on particular groups, since he’s beneath contract for the upcoming season.
