Rice will be a high-priced free agent who has had exactly one good season playing with one of the all-time great quarterbacks in his finest statistical season. Was it Brett Favre that made Rice or Rice that made Favre? Nobody can say for sure, which is part of the problem (my money is on Favre making Rice, for what that’s worth). Rice then missed most of last season with a hip injury. He is a 6’4″ receiver that ran a pedestrian 4.5 40-yard dash as a rookie. Before signing any wide receiver, this team needs to cement their defensive line. Putting a guy like Rice higher on the priority list than either Brandon Mebane or his replacement is irresponsible. This team is not a great wide receiver away from being a dominant team, and Rice is far from a certainty to be a great receiver.
Most folks are not enamored with Ben Obomanu, but the team did just sign him to an extension. There were exactly zero games last year when Obomanu, Williams, Brandon Stokley and Matt Hasselbeck all played a complete game. When they were all on the field, the passing game was pretty darn good, and Obomanu was a big part of that as a down-field threat. The team just drafted a 6’4″ receiver in Kris Durham that is faster than Rice.
If the Seahawks insist on adding a wideout, consider the players available in a tier below Rice. There are guys like Steve Breaston, James Jones, Malcolm Floyd, Jacoby Jones or even a player like Lance Moore who could slide right into the slot role Stokley vacated.
Believe it or not, wide receiver is among the stronger position groups on this team. Given the desperate situations at QB, OG, and DT, spending top money on a wide receiver like Sidney Rice is a risk not worth taking.