Tag: Russell Okung

Former Seahawks OT Russell Okung says he fasted 40 days to lose NFL weight

He’s been out of the league since then and has undergone a radical physical transformation.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

The best left tackle the Seattle Seahawks have had in the Pete Carroll era was also Pete’s first draft pick: former Oklahoma State offensive lineman Russell Okung. After playing 72 games in six seasons with Seattle, Okung moved on to put in one year with the Denver Broncos, followed by three with the Los Angeles Chargers and one more with the Carolina Panthers in 2020.

Okung has been out of the league since then and has undergone a massive physical transformation. In the NFL his listed playing weight was well over 300 pounds. These days he’s far slimmer, as these before and after photos he shared on Twitter last night show.

Okung now says that he achieved the radical weight loss by fasting for 40 days and drinking nothing but water and he’s going to do it again.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Ranking Seattle’s position groups from best to worst

Ranking the NFL’s top 50 available free agents

Doug Baldwin weights in on Seattle/Denver debate

Former Panthers OT Russell Okung reveals how he lost over 100 pounds

Former Panthers OT Russell Okung, who shocked Twitter two months ago with a picture of his dramatic body transformation, just revealed how he lost over 100 pounds.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Russell Okung may have never been called “fast” during his 11-year NFL career. But now, he’s embraced a different kind of fast in finding life after football.

Almost two months ago—on Easter Sunday, to be exact—the former Carolina Panthers offensive lineman tweeted out a picture displaying the fruits of his dramatic body transformation. Once 330 pounds, a slender Okung looked precisely how the caption of the post read—”Reborn.”

So, how did he do it?

On Monday night, the 34-year-old answered that question:

Okung added the following in a series of additional tweets:

Fasting isn’t just about weight loss. It’s about regeneration, healing & self-discovery. In quieting my physical hunger, I unlocked mental clarity and spiritual revelation. A total reset.

As an elite athlete, I was always told to eat big, stay strong. I never questioned it. But breaking away, embracing fasting, it changed everything. I’m not just lighter in weight; I’m lighter in spirit.

Fasting isn’t for everyone, I get that. But for me, it was a life-changer. The benefits are profound. Clearer skin, better digestion, improved mental focus, even my joint pain has decreased.

My journey hasn’t been just about shedding pounds; it’s also been about shedding old habits and old ways of thinking. Fasting opened a door to a healthier, happier me. It gave me control back.

Today, I stand before you – changed, empowered and inspired. Whether you’re considering fasting, or just looking to change your life, remember: The first day is always the hardest.

The 2010 sixth overall pick and two-time Pro Bowler played his final professional season with the Panthers in 2020. So, by our and Okung’s calculations, that was about three years and over 100 pounds ago.

[lawrence-related id=675320,674930,672907]

Ex-Broncos OT Russell Okung had an amazing post-football transformation

When Russell Okung played for the Broncos in 2016, he was listed on the roster at 310 pounds. This is how he looks now! 😳

As someone who has lost over 100 pounds, I know losing weight is hard and takes consistency and effort over time. Former Denver Broncos offensive tackle Russell Okung knows all about it, showcasing his weight loss for the world to see on Twitter earlier this week. 

Okung spent 11 seasons in the NFL from 2010-2020, including one year with the Broncos in 2016. Okung achieved some notoriety as a member of the Seattle Seahawks during the early part of the Russell Wilson era. There, alongside their famous defense, “The Legion of Boom,” Okung racked up a Pro Bowl nod and a Super Bowl title during the 2013 NFL season. Okung would also earn an additional Pro Bowl nod in 2017 while with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Before joining the Chargers, Okung started all 16 games for the Broncos in 2016. He was listed at 310 pounds on Denver’s roster that season.

Okung made headlines in 2020 when he became the first NFL player to have part of his salary paid in Bitcoin while playing for the Carolina Panthers. That ended up being his final year in the NFL and he has apparently worked hard to get in fantastic shape since retiring.

Former Broncos offensive lineman Orlando Franklin also shared photos of a similar body transformation after he retired from the NFL.

[lawrence-related id=686775,653888,695412,693380,694086]

Former Panthers OT Russell Okung shows off dramatic body transformation

Former Panthers OT Russell Okung looks a lot different from the last time we saw him.

Professional athletes must often find new life when their playing days are over, and that’s exactly what former Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Russell Okung has done.

Fittingly enough, the 34-year-old posted a tweet on Easter Sunday that reads “Reborn,” and accompanied it with a jaw-dropping picture of his dramatic body transformation.

Now a lean, mean svelte-looking machine, Okung was listed at 310 pounds during his NFL career—one that lasted just over a decade. That run began in 2010, when he was selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2010 draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

The Oklahoma State University product played six seasons in Seattle. During his time there, he captured his first Pro Bowl nod (2012) and a big ol’ shiny ring from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos.

Following two other stints with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, Okung was traded to the Panthers in exchange for guard Trai Turner in March of 2020. He played just seven games in his lone season for Carolina, all as their starting left tackle.

[lawrence-related id=672248,672273,672190]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxc4awx2fz2sn9 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Seahawks have had 2 of the top 10 draft classes since 2006, says PFF

The Seattle Seahawks nearly built a dynasty in the early years of the Pete Carroll and John Schneider era.

The Seattle Seahawks nearly built a dynasty in the early years of the Pete Carroll and John Schneider era. A lot of factors went into the greatness of the peak Legion of Boom teams. The most important one was the organization’s ability to navigate the NFL draft far better than their 31 competitors.

Seattle’s first draft under Carroll and Schneider built the foundation for those teams. The 2010 class netted Earl Thomas, Russell Okung, Golden Tate and Kam Chancellor. Two years later the team struck gold again, getting Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin. According to Pro Football Focus, those two classes are among the top 10 overall since 2006.

New Orleans’ 2017 class is undeniably special, but in our opinion Seattle’s 2012 group should be No. 1.

Sadly, all the players from these two great classes are gone. Schneider and Carroll will have to make lightning strike twice in order to build another championship contender.

[lawrence-related id=91307]

[vertical-gallery id=91282]

These potential athlete salary losses on crypto are staggering but not completely accurate

These numbers are wild, but there’s more to it.

Bitcoin has taken quite the dive in the last few months, falling from a record high of more than $66,000 in October down to around $21,000 today. The sharp decline for the world’s most popular cryptocurrency is representative of the larger crypto market, which is in a bit of a dry spell as a whole.

The news is tough to hear for those who aren’t as bullish on crypto as they might have once been, especially if they didn’t get out sooner. Among the ranks could be a few athletes who accepted some or all of their salary in crypto over the last year or so.

But while this graphic that surfaced on Twitter about stars who suffered the biggest losses made for a good joke (the caption, not the losses), it’s not completely accurate.

The big name that jumps right off the page is Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who partnered with Blockfolio last April to have his entire $24 million rookie signing bonus paid in crypto. According to the chart, that $24 million would only be worth about $9 million today. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Lawrence lost $15 million.

What we don’t know is if and when Lawrence, or any of the other athletes’ losses were realized. Bitcoin was at about $54,000 when Lawrence’s deal with Blockfolio was announced last April. So it’s possible he actually made a profit if he pulled out at or near the October peak. Russell Okung may have even been one of the league’s highest paid players at one point thanks to receiving half his 2020 salary in Bitcoin.

Of course, for those who are still invested, it’s possible their losses could reach even more than what’s listed above. But as people who apparently believed in crypto enough to put millions into it, they’d tell you the market is going to turn and they’ll still potentially make money or break even. I wouldn’t bet on it, but hey, that’s just me.

The biggest thing to take away from the list is that none of the athletes were bullish enough to put their entire salary into crypto. Odell Beckham Jr. was the only one who did, but his $750,000 deal with the Rams was just a fraction of what he was paid by the Browns in the same year. And Sean Culkin would’ve put his entire salary into crypto, but he was cut last spring before he could even get the chance — and then retired. It was the ultimate all-in move. For the vast majority of the others, the salary conversion was simply another investment – a gamble. One that may or may not have paid off, but one they ultimately could afford to make.

[listicle id=1914914]

[mm-video type=video id=01g63xmy8ddxp52nt088 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g63xmy8ddxp52nt088/01g63xmy8ddxp52nt088-29497b019c24c311aee8253c2dc306d1.jpg]

Seahawks pick potential Duane Brown replacement in this 2022 mock draft

Cross could be the answer to one of Seattle’s biggest personnel dilemnas this offseason.

The last time the Seattle Seahawks held a top-10 pick in the NFL draft was 2010, the first year of the Pete Carroll and John Schneider regime. While a couple of safeties they took later on got most of the attention, they used that first pick on Russell Okung, an OT prospect from Oklahoma State who went on to be their starting left tackle for the next six seasons.

While Okung was never a star, he played well enough to make two Pro Bowls and kept his job for a long time. Heading into the 2022 NFL draft, it’s possible we’ll see a similar situation unfold.

In a new 2022 mock from Luke Easterling at Draft Wire, the Seahawks use the No. 9 overall pick they got from the Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade on Mississippi State’s Charles Cross.

Cross (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) could be the answer to one of Seattle’s biggest personnel dilemnas this offseason: what to do with 36-year old left tackle Duane Brown. While he’s still a far-above-average player at his position, Brown admitted his performance in 2021 was below his standard. It’s possible the inevitable decline has already begun, which means finding a potential replacement as soon as possible is important.

[lawrence-related id=85898]

[listicle id=85815]

Panthers 2021 offensive line review: What’s the plan at left tackle?

The Panthers may have even less stability on the left side of the line than last year, and that’s saying a lot.

Ahead of training camp, we’re taking a look at each position on the Carolina Panthers’ 2021 squad, evaluating the changes since 2020 and projecting the unit’s outlook for this season.

Following our evaluations of the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends, we’ll turn to the final position group on offense: the offensive line.

Major changes: Filling holes up front

One of the first (and possibly worst) free agency signings by GM Scott Fitterer in Carolina was veteran journeyman Cameron Erving, who now projects to be the team’s starter at LT. That could end in disaster though, with Pro Football Focus ranking him as their lowest-graded offensive lineman in the entire league over the last three seasons.

The Panthers have also tried to address the offensive line via the NFL draft, most notably with then-GM Marty Hurney’s trade up for Greg Little in the 2019 draft. Now, Little’s slow development and injury-plagued career look to put him on the roster bubble, replaced by anyone from a veteran to a rookie.

With the selection of Little now going down as one of Hurney’s worst mistakes, Fitterer took his shot at filling the hole at LT by drafting Brady Christensen in the third round of this year’s draft. Christensen started three years at left tackle for the pro-style offense at BYU and even became PFF’s highest-graded offensive lineman ever in his senior season.

The Panthers also addressed a less significant need at guard through the draft, selecting the outstanding run blocker Deonte Brown in the sixth round and signing undrafted free agent and Senior Bowl standout David Moore. They also signed veteran Pat Elflein to a three-year deal.

The big question: Will the Panthers finally find stability at left tackle?

The Panthers have struggled to fill the left tackle position since All-Pro Jordan Gross retired in 2013. Over the last eight years, the team has tried out plenty of short-term solutions, only to lose them to free agency, poor performance and plenty of injuries. This offseason has seen much of the same after the team let Russell Okung walk.

Unless Erving turns around his entire six-year career to become the long-term solution in Carolina, the team will be looking at an unproven option to protect Sam Darnold’s blindside.

The only exception to that comes if Matt Rhule tries out the team’s most consistent lineman on the opposite side of his natural position. Taylor Moton, who signed a four-year, $71.25 million extension with the team less than an hour before the franchise tag deadline, has already taken practice reps at left tackle this offseason. The move wouldn’t come without risk, as the first player to try out that switch in the post-Gross era— Byron Bell— was not re-signed by Carolina the year following that campaign.

Better or worse? Worse

Carolina may have even less stability on the left side of the line than last year, and that’s saying a lot. Other than Moton, the rest of the offensive line group has either remained the same or gotten thinner. Even though Okung’s 2020 campaign was plagued with injury, replacing him with Erving is a definitive downgrade. Now, the team’s future at left tackle could rest on the shoulders of Christensen, though we expect him to kick off his career as a rotational lineman with the Panthers. The interior is similar to last year when the entire group ranked nearly dead last in pass protection.

The major win for the group was the extension of Moton, but in terms of productivity, we can’t expect much more from the fifth-year lineman who allowed just three sacks playing 100% of offensive snaps in 2020.

[lawrence-related id=638288]

[vertical-gallery id=638265]

Free agent OT Russell Okung content to wait for a better offer

Now a free agent, Okung seems content to wait for a better offer.

The Panthers head into the 2021 season with a familiar problem: there’s no clear starter at the left tackle position.With only a couple weeks before training camp begins, the frontrunner appears to be Cameron Erving. If he winds up winning that battle, signing him might very well turn out to be the worst move Carolina made this offseason.

Last year Russell Okung didn’t exactly set the world on fire. The Panthers paid him $13 million and he wound up only playing seven games. Now a free agent, Okung seems content to wait for a better offer, per Adam Beasley at Pro Football Network.

Okung will turn 33 years old in the middle of this coming season. He’s also missed 19 games over the last two due to injuries. All that said, Okung is a much better option than any of the current options on the roster who will compete for that left tackle spot.

[lawrence-related id=638154]

[vertical-gallery id=638139]

Former Panthers G Trai Turner agrees to one-year deal with Steelers

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, Turner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers.

That Trai Turner for Russell Okung deal didn’t benefit either side much, as it turns out. Okung missed nine games in Carolina and is currently a free agent. Meanwhile, Turner only played nine games with the Chargers before moving on.

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, Turner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers.

Pittsburgh released six-time Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro earlier today, so they had a spot open. Turner has made five Pro Bowls himself and at 28 he’s three years younger than DeCastro.

Turner and the rest of the Steelers will visit the Panthers for the final preseason game of the year. While it’s unlikely Turner will see much action, Pittsburgh could benefit from extra reps. With DeCastro’s exit, they will be returning only one starter from last year’s offensive line unit.

Turner should project as the Steelers’ new starter at right guard.

[lawrence-related id=637640]

[vertical-gallery id=637525]