Seahawks have the least effective cap space in the NFL after free agency
The Seahawks were busy in free agency this year, splurging to fix their defensive front seven by signing two interior defensive linemen and two off-ball linebackers They also added a veteran center and re-signed both 2022 quarterbacks, Geno Smith and Drew Lock.
While that’s a good bit of work for March, the party is now over. With the contract details for Bobby Wagner’s one-year deal revealed, Seattle is now firmly in the red.
According to the latest figures at Over the Cap, Seattle has roughly $4,168,554 available for the 2023 season. However, that number does not count what it will cost to sign their draft class. With 10 total picks this year including two first-rounders, that won’t be cheap.
The Seahawks’ effective cap number is actually -$5,496,786, which is the least space in the entire league.
So, in order to make room for their extra large rookie class they’ll have to either release more players or get creative. So far several vets have already gotten the axe, including Gabe Jackson and Shelby Harris.
They could cut more but there’s not much fat left to trim on this roster. General manager John Schneider may need to tweak some of the larger contracts on the books in order to create room.
The three players who make sense for contract restructures are wide receiver Tyler Lockett and safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. According to Over the Cap’s projections, Seattle could save another $5,690,000 by restructuring Lockett’s deal, $6,613,333 more by restructuring Adams and $6,162,500 with a restructure for Diggs’ deal.
