Four big-name Seahawks were not with the team when Seattle opened OTAs Tuesday. Only one of the absences was contract related.
Danny O'Neil of 710 ESPN Radio reported Tuesday that Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham and Cliff Avril all missed the first day of workouts for personal reasons.Â
Michael Bennett was also not at OTAs, per ESPN Radio. Bennett wants a new contract from Seattle.
As for Wilson, Graham and Avril, O'Neil reported that the team is aware of each situation and none are skipping voluntary workouts in an effort to get a new contract.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Graham and Wilson were in Florida attending the funeral of Graham's personal manager and mentor, Tammy Meyerson.Â
Avril missed OTAs to mourn the passing of his father, which he announced on his Instagram this past weekend.
Tuesday marked the first missed field work for Wilson in his career. The quarterback's absence highlights the lack of a veteran backup. B.J. Daniels and R.J. Archer are the only other signal-callers on the roster. Tarvaris Jackson, last year's backup, remains on the free-agent market.
OTAs are completely voluntary, so we don't read anything into the veterans not attending the beginning. Graham and Wilson missing a couple days of chemistry building in May won't derail the Seahawks' ability to get back to a third-straight Super Bowl.
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