The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded veteran tight end Kellen Winslow to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers and Seahawks announced via news releases on Monday.
A source told ESPN.com that the pick was a seventh-rounder that could be elevated to the sixth round.
The move was not quite a surprise. During an interview with Ross Tucker of NFL SiriusXM radio on Monday, Winslow said Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano had told him he would not be back with the team and that the club was actively trying to trade him.
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Schiano had expressed disappointment that Winslow was not participating in the team's offseason workout program, opting instead to work out on his own near his home in San Diego, Winslow said during the interview. Winslow returned to Tampa over the weekend, which is when he was informed that he was no longer in the team's plans.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Seahawksdid not renegotiate Winslow's contract in order to facilitate the trade. This does not mean that it won't be revisited down the road, but for now, the Seahawks will inherit the three years and $15.95 million remaining on Winslow's current contract. That includes a $3.3 million in base salary, $550,000 in per-game roster bonuses ($34,375 per game active), a $500,000 workout bonus and $1 million in incentives. Winslow will count for $4.8 million against the salary cap in 2012.
Winslow joins a tight end group that headlined by Zach Miller, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract in 2011 that included $17 million in guaranteed money. The Seahawks had offensive line issues, and Miller had to block more than had orginally been planned, leaving him to catch just 25 passes for 233 yards a year after making the Pro Bowl. Former starter John Carlson missed the season with a torn labrum, forcing the team to rely on young tight ends Cameron Morrah and Anthony McCoy, who combined for just 19 receptions for 220 yards.
Winslow, 28, has spent the last three seasons with the Buccaneers, catching 218 passes for 2,377 yards and 12 touchdowns in 48 games. The Bucs had acquired Winslow in 2009, sending a pair of draft picks to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the former first-round draft pick. Winslow has 437 career receptions for 4,836 yards and 23 touchdowns in 92 games. He missed most of his first two seasons in the league with knee injuries.
The Buccaneers also officially announced the signing of former Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark to a one-year deal. Clark has struggled with injuries the last two seasons, catching just 71 passes for 699 yards and five touchdowns after establishing career-highs with 100 receptions for 1,106 yards with 10 touchdowns in 2009, the lone Pro Bowl season of his nine-year career.
The Colts released Clark as part of a large roster purge on March 9.