Seahawks pass rusher Bruce Irvin's Seattle future is up in the air.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday night, via a source informed of the team's thinking, the Seahawksdo not plan to exercise the fifth-year option on Irvin's rookie contract.
The 2016 option would have resulted in a $7.751 million salary, prohibitive for a team already shelling out big bucks for Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright, Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham -- with new mega deals for Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner on the horizon.
The Seahawks would like to re-sign Irvin, however, when his contract runs out after the 2015 season, per Rapoport.
The question is whether Irvin would be interested in signing on the cheap prior to testing his value on the open market.
To that end, "chatter has already emerged" that Irvin could be traded to Atlanta, according to Pro Football Talk.
It's a prospective deal that would certainly make sense on the surface. The Falcons are desperately in need of an edge rusher, and the move would reunite Irvin with coach Dan Quinn, formerly Seattle's defensive coordinator.
Irvin, 27, played the eighth-most snaps among Seahawks defensive players last season, notching 37 tackles, 6.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns.
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