Pete Carroll has insisted that the Seattle Seahawks want to keep hold of Bruce Irvin for a "long time", despite speculation that the NFC West side were looking to trade the pass rusher.

The linebacker has one year left on his rookie contract with a team option for another season in 2016, but it has recently been reported that the Seahawks will not exercise the option.

The head coach told The Seattle Times: "If we pick up Bruce's option it's a great thing, if we don't pick up Bruce's option, it only means we aren't picking it up. We want him to be here for a long time.

"We discussed what our plan is and what we are planning on doing, still knowing that maybe something could happen that could change the decision.

"It has nothing to do with the statement of how we feel about him in our program. We expect him to be here for a long time and we will work to get that done."

The 27-year-old became the first player ever to be ejected from a Super Bowl earlier this year when he punched New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, resulting in a brawl.