$1000 bonus for Ahlers.
I wonder what those guys thought of Witherspoon holding out because he wanted ALL of his Bonus money NOW!
By Bob Condotta
Seattle Times staff reporter
RENTON — The moment the NFL draft ends can be particularly nerve-wracking for those who didn’t hear their name called.
Not only is there disappointment in not getting taken, but the minute the draft ends, all who go unselected become what are known as undrafted rookie free agents (UDFAs).
And as the draft ends, those players (or their agents) start getting calls, fielding offers from NFL teams to sign as those clubs fill out their 90-man rosters.
For many players, the choice is a balancing act between immediate financial reward and the best overall fit for a long-term future.
All UDFAs get the same base three-year contract and salary (starting this year at $750,000) but can be given differing bonuses and guarantees as an inducement to sign.
So it was for quarterback Holton Ahlers of East Carolina, who said multiple calls came rolling in as the draft ended last April.
“It was a stressful night because offers come and go every minute,” he said. “You have one and then someone else accepts it and then you have another one and someone else accepts it.”
Ahlers ultimately signed with the Seahawks, though not necessarily for the money — according to OvertheCap.com, he got a bonus of $1,000 and will only get his salary if he makes the 53-man roster.
Instead, Ahlers was drawn by what he called “a good situation” with the Seahawks, noting the team and Pete Carroll’s “culture” and that there are only two other QBs on the roster in Geno Smith and Drew Lock.
“I wanted to go somewhere that only really had two quarterbacks on the roster so I could fight for that third spot,” he said.
In that same moment, while Ahlers and hundreds of others were debating what to do, receiver Matt Landers of Arkansas faced no such conflict.
Despite intriguing size of 6-4, 200 pounds and running a 4.37-second 40 at the NFL scouting combine that was the third fastest of all receivers, Landers said he had just one offer as the draft ended.
“The Seahawks were my only opportunity,” he said, which had him quickly agreeing to a deal that included a $10,000 signing bonus, tied for the second-most Seattle gave to any of the 25 UDFAs the team signed in the immediate aftermath of the draft.
Landers said he was “a little surprised” no other teams wanted him, but he expressed no bitterness.
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“At the end of the day I’m a man of faith and whatever God got planned for me, he wanted me to be here, so that’s just how I feel,” he said. “… I was blessed for the opportunity and for them to believe in me.”
Each said they turned their focus to doing what they can to show the Seahawks they deserve to at least stay on the practice squad (teams form 16-man practice squads after cutting their training camp roster of 90 to 53 following the third preseason game).
“Just trying to create value” is the way Ahlers put it.
“Going to keep thriving to be the best Seattle Seahawk I can be” is the way Landers put it.
Last Thursday, in Seattle’s preseason opener, the two took a step toward accomplishing their individual goals by teaming for the most memorable play of the Seahawks’ 24-13 win over the Vikings.
In the fourth quarter, from the 30-yard line, Ahlers took a shotgun snap and looked to pass. As pressure came quickly — he eventually was flattened by a Vikings defender — Ahlers lofted the ball down the right side to Landers.
The throw was far from perfect, and Landers had to stop and wait for it.
But that had the effect of creating space between him and the Minnesota cornerback, who didn’t see the ball and kept running. Landers sidestepped another Minnesota defender and stiff-armed another at the goal line as he crossed into the end zone, a play that might have elicited the biggest cheer of the night.
Interestingly, in doing their jobs, neither saw in the moment what made the play so jaw-dropping to everyone else in the stadium.
“I didn’t know he had that pressure,” Landers said. “I thought he just threw it up. But after seeing (the replay), he made a fantastic play just being able to trust in me.”
Said Ahlers: “I was on the ground and I was just waiting for the crowd’s reaction — I couldn’t see (Landers) at all. When I heard the crowd cheering, I knew that he had at least caught the ball. Then I saw him going to the end zone.”
Each is hoping that’s only the beginning in showing that maybe they should have been drafted — or at least gotten a lot more interest.
For the 6-3, 227-pound Ahlers, the biggest questions were about his arm strength and if he has a quick enough release.
What no one disputed is his college production.
Ahlers threw for 97 touchdowns in four years at ECU, located in the same city in which he grew up — Greenville, N.C. — and ranks seventh all-time among all NCAA players in total yards with 15,071 (13,927 passing, 1,446 rushing).
Along the way, his mobility and being left-handed have invited comparisons to Tim Tebow — a few “Te-bow” chants erupted Thursday night after his TD.
Ahlers admits Tebow was for a time a hero and he wore Tebow’s No. 15 when he first started playing in seventh grade.
He switched to 12 in high school and college saying he wanted to make a name for himself. But 12 isn’t available in Seattle so he’s back to 15.
Ahlers said he didn’t ask for it.
“That was just what was in my locker when I got here,” he said.
Landers, meanwhile, played at three schools in five years — three years at Georgia, then one each at Toledo and Arkansas — drawing questions about his consistency, production and route-running.
And as Carroll noted this week, he’ll have to show he can be a dependable member of most special teams, something that would be expected of any young receiver who would be at the bottom of the rotation.
Landers said “I didn’t do a lot” of special teams in college, working mostly as a gunner.
“But whatever I’ve got to do, I’m going to do,” he said.
Landers backed up his big play last week with an impressive practice Wednesday with two TD catches.
“He had a terrific day,” Carroll said.
However, Landers felt tightness in his quad and did not practice Thursday. It’s unclear if he’ll be available for Saturday’s game against Dallas — the kind of NFL reality that can serve as a bump in the road to achieving dreams.
He’ll hope, if nothing else, his work so far has shown the Seahawks he has a football future worth keeping him around.
Each has already seen how day-to-day NFL life can be — of the group of 25 they signed with last spring, 10 have already been cut, replaced by other players with the same hopes and dreams as their own.
“Whatever happens I’m going to be at peace with it,” Ahlers said. “I’ve been working my tail off and I’ve been myself here and I think that’s enough.”
And no matter how the next few weeks unfold, each will at least always have the shared moment of Thursday night.
“It was a pretty cool thing that happened,” Ahlers said. “I’ll remember it forever.”
I wonder what those guys thought of Witherspoon holding out because he wanted ALL of his Bonus money NOW!