Still smiling wide in the afterglow of a trade that brought Jamal Adams to his secondary, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is not yet closing the door on other high-profile moves.
Fielding questions from reporters Monday, Carroll indicated the franchise is still keeping an open eye on wide receiver Antonio Brown, who's under suspension, or wideout Josh Gordon, who most recently played for the Seahawks before his latest suspension.
In addressing questions on each troubled wideout, Carroll did seem a bit more receptive of Gordon rejoining his squad, though he clarified it's ultimately beyond his and the franchise's control.
"It's not in our hands," Carroll said via ESPN's Brady Henderson. "Josh did a really good job with us last year. He fit in really well. He was part of this team by the way we opened and embraced his coming to us, but also by the way he adapted. So we are very open to that thought and we'll see what happens. I don't know. I can't tell you what's going to happen on that."
As for the A.B. conundrum, which has drawn the Seahawks into the mix in some part due to franchise quarterback Russell Wilson working out with Brown during the offseason, Carroll indicated they were monitoring the situation and always looking to improve.
"What I'd say to you is what we always say, because it's what we always do and who we are," Carroll said. "[Seahawks general manager] John [Schneider] is competing at every turn. There's never been a process, unless we just missed it, that we weren't involved with to understand what the chances were of helping our club. He's all over it. He understands what's going on right now, as much as you can. It's a very complex situation. We just need to see where it fits somewhere down the road. That's all I got for you."
Currently, the Seahawks' wide receiver corps offers burgeoning star D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, David Moore and free-agent signee Phillip Dorsett.
Aside from Carroll's musings on Monday, the latest on Gordon came in June when he submitted a letter to the league for reinstatement. Following five games with Seattle, Gordon was suspended indefinitely in December for violation of the NFL's policies on performance-enhancing substances. It was Gordon's fifth suspension in eight years.
Brown's suspension was handed down on Friday and is for eight games due to multiple violations of the league's personal-conduct policy. The longtime former Steelers standout, who was traded to the Raiders, whom he never played for, and picked up by the Patriots but released after one game, was suspended due to issues in which he pleaded no contest to burglary and battery charges from a January incident in Florida, and accusations he sent intimidating texts to a woman who accused the receiver of making unwanted advances toward her. While Brown's suspension sits at eight games, it could be extended pending the findings of an ongoing league investigation.
As of now, any big-name addition to Wilson's arsenal is a wait-and-see.
