Seahawks’ Bruce Irvin burns his bridges a season early

Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin said Wednesday night while attending the Atlanta Hawks game that he plans to play for the Falcons in 2016.

Irvin, who grew up in Atlanta, told BlackSportsOnLine.com that “I’m going to be in Atlanta next season. I’m ready.”

And when asked if he would return to Seattle, he said: “Atlanta is where I want to be. Believe that.”

Irvin, of course, may well have his choice of where he wants to play following the 2015 season as the Seahawks did not pick up an option for the 2016 season that would have paid him almost $7.8 million – something that has obviously not gone over well with Irvin.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider said instead they hoped to sign Irvin to a contract, one that would likely be for more years but at less money per year.

But if the two sides do not reach a deal then Irvin would be a free agent.

Publicly stating that Atlanta is where he would go, though, is an interesting strategy – free agents usually like the idea of drumming up interest among a lot of teams and going to the highest bidder.

Irvin unquestionably is miffed at the Seahawks, given the tweets he sent out after it became known the team would not pick up his option such as: “Faced way tougher adversity getting outta them streets coming up! That’s (expletive) is nothing! (Expletive) THAT OPTION!”

Maybe Irvin is just letting off some steam and having some fun – he was at an Atlanta event, and as the tweet above shows, he’s not afraid to say pretty much whatever.

Irvin is under contract for the 2015 season, the final season of his initial four-year deal after he was chosen in the first round in 2012. The Seahawks were given the option to add the extension due to a clause allowing teams to add a fifth year to the deals of first-round picks.

Seattle declined the option in large part due to wanting to work out a deal that would allow for a softer salary cap number in 2016, with the Seahawks also facing the challenge of extending Russell Wilson’s contract, as well as middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, both of which would likely add significant hits to the cap beginning in 2016.

Irvin could hold out in the hopes of forcing a trade to Atlanta – which is not only his hometown but also now coached by former Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Otherwise, he’s a Seahawk in 2015. Beyond that, though, is in question, and was before Irvin said what he did Wednesday night.

In Frank Clark, the Seahawks see possibilities.

Clark, the Seahawks’ second-round draft pick, has come under heavy scrutiny for his arrest on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend in November. But the Seahawks have stood by their investigation and made it clear they felt Clark was the best pass rusher left in the draft.

What they see in Clark, the player, are options. At their three-day rookie minicamp last weekend, the Seahawks tried Clark at a new position each day: at traditional defensive end, at Leo (the Seahawks’ label for their speed pass rusher) and as an inside rusher.

“As we put all that film together and get a look at how he moved and how comfortable he is,” Carroll said, “it will give us a good first indication of what we can do with him.”

Carroll’s early prognosis: “There’s not much limitation to what we can do with him.”

The Seahawks play different styles with their defensive ends, depending on the player’s physical makeup and skills:

• There’s the Red Bryant model – the big, grinding, 300-pound anchor charged with stuffing the run.

• There’s the Michael Bennett model – a more traditional defensive end at 274 pounds who uses his agility and quickness to stop the run or rush the passer.

• And then there’s the Cliff Avril/Chris Clemons model – the guys who play the Leo position at around 260 pounds and use their speed as edge rushers.

Carroll sees Clark in the Bennett/Avril model because he is both big enough at 272 pounds to play traditional defensive end and speedy enough to be an edge rusher.

Turbin has surgery

Backup Seahawks running back Robert Turbin underwent offseason hip surgery, but is expected back in time for the start of the 2015 regular season.

The team did not detail what was repaired or a recovery timeline.

Turbin is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Seahawks and has been the main backup for Marshawn Lynch since being drafted in 2012. Turbin has made three starts, all last season, and has rushed for 928 total yards.

With Turbin sidelined, former second-round pick Christine Michael should get the bulk of the work during organized team activities and June’s minicamp as Lynch normally doesn’t ramp up his activity until training camp.