Why did Seahawks make their interest in Antonio Brown known?

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As the date for the potential return of Antonio Brown approached, we floated this idea on PFT Live: Would one team’s interest in Brown prompt other teams to get involved?

That’s quite possibly what happened, with Seattle’s acknowledged interest in Brown prompting Tampa Bay to swoop in and close the deal.

That leads to a broader question. Why did the Seahawks acknowledge interest in Brown? Surely they knew that this could prompt other contenders, especially in the NFC, to get involved. Surely they knew that Tom Brady was still pushing for the Bucs to sign Brown.

So why do it? Here’s a theory. Or maybe it’s technically a hypothesis. Regardless, what if the powers-that-be in Seattle have decided that Brown hasn’t changed, that he’ll be a problem, and that he’ll potential derail the next team with which he signs?

It’s possibly a Trojan Horse-style concept, a next-level effort by the Seahawks to get the Buccaneers to disrupt team chemistry with a guy who will potentially throw everything out of whack.

Ultimately, the distinction is binary. The Seahawks either recklessly invited a competitor to swoop in, or they did it deliberately. Given that the Seahawks have had a winning record every year since 2012, it could be safe to say that this was no accident. If so, time will tell whether the calculated effort to plant a virus in a Tampa Bay team that could be the most complete in the NFC helps the Seahawks clear out a team that could keep Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson and company from getting back to the Super Bowl.