All Seahawks

NFL analyst points to a pair of Seahawks who could be salary-cap casualties

Russell Baxter|
Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

In this story:

Seattle Seahawks

First things first. A few hours ago, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that this year’s NFL salary cap will be a bit higher than originally expected. That’s good news for several teams, including the Seattle Seahawks, who have a lot of bookwork ahead of them when it comes to getting under the number.

Prior to that news, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Graziano gave his thoughts on potential salary cap questions facing each of the 32 NFL teams.  When it came to Mike Macdonald’s club, there were two players (one on each side of the ball) Graziano felt were “cut candidates.”

“The two to watch are receiver Tyler Lockett and outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones, who currently have the third- and fourth-highest cap numbers on the team, respectively. Quarterback Geno Smith and receiver DK Metcalf have the highest and second highest, but those numbers will likely come down via contract extensions.

“Lockett is 32 years old, and while he’s a beloved player in the Seahawks’ building, he has also kind of found himself the No. 3 wide receiver this past season behind Metcalf and the emerging Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If he’s on the team in 2025, it’s likely because he took a pay cut from his currently-scheduled $17 million to stay. He has a $5.3 million roster bonus due next month, so the Seahawks will want to decide by then. Jones, meanwhile, has played well for Seattle—but not well enough to justify a $25.645 million cap hit. The Seahawks would save roughly $11.57 million if they released him.”

That’s an awful lot of math. The bottom line is that even when the new cap number is settled on, the Seahawks have some work to do on this front. As of this writing, only the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns are in worst shape on this front, and that is even after Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams restructured his contract for the ‘Hawks earlier this month.

More Seahawks on SI stories

NFL analyst sees plenty of needs for the Seattle Seahawks offensive line

Seahawks named among best NFL draft fits for Senior Bowl standout at QB

Seahawks GM reveals mindset on building offensive line

Seahawks star defensive lineman has 'one knock' ahead of free agency

Published
Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.