After a week that saw Bruce Irvin's name reportedly bubble up as trade bait, the Seahawks pass rusher has a home in Seattle for years to come, according to coach Pete Carroll -- even if the team doesn't plan to exercise the defender's fifth-year option for 2016, as NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport noted last week.
"If we pick up Bruce's option it's a great thing, if we don't pick up Bruce's option, it only means we aren't picking it up," Carroll said Saturday, per The Seattle Times. "We want him to be here for a long time."
Carroll said the team met with Irvin on Friday and "it went very well," adding: "We discussed what our plan is and what we are planning on doing, still knowing that maybe something could happen that could change the decision. It has nothing to do with the statement of how we feel about him in our program. We expect him to be here for a long time and we will work to get that done."
General manager John Schneider also drew a parallel to his wanting to re-sign guard James Carpenter, who wound up signing a free-agent deal with the New York Jets. If Seattle isn't bluffing, they'll need to make a nice offer to Irvin to keep him from landing elsewhere.
With 16 sacks over three seasons, Irvin -- the 15th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft -- has delivered as a member of Seattle's nasty front seven. It's fair to wonder why the team didn't pick up Irvin's option if they like him, but they can settle that debate with a long-term contract down the road.
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