Curtis Allen’s Seahawks salary cap update

This is a guest post by Curtis Allen…

A Salary Cap Update as Free Agency Looms

We have been tracking and providing some insight on the Seahawks’ salary cap situation all season and that will continue as we cover a very exciting off-season for the team.  I’ll be popping in occasionally to provide some updates and analysis on the cap so we can stay abreast of the issues the team is facing.

I want to begin by telling you the team has no money to spend this offseason.  Zero.

Then we will talk about why that is not entirely true and what the Seahawks can do about it.

The team currently sits at $20.2 million of total cap space per OTC, with only $9.04 million of that as effective cap space.  

OTC arrives at that effective number by reducing the cap number by the estimated 2023 draft rookie class pool number of $9.66 million and taking another $750k to get to two more minimum-hit roster players to reach 51 total players.

Notes on the Geno Smith Contract

We just received the breakdown on the brilliant Geno Smith contract with the Seahawks.  John Schneider has knocked it out of the park by providing a contract that rewards Geno for a great 2022, incentivizes more great play going forward and allows the Seahawks room to choose whether to draft a quarterback of the future this year or to stick with Geno Smith as their main option for the future.

Based on the information we have we can project approximate cap hits for the years of the contract:

2023 — $10.1 million

2024 — $31.2 million ($46.2m if $15m of roster bonus escalators met in 2023)

2025 — $33.7 million ($48.7m if $15m of roster bonus escalators met in 2024)

It looks like there is about $27.3m initially guaranteed with the potential to get up to $40 million in 2024.

The structure and cap hits are eerily similar to the higher-end projection we made in November.

One key note to be aware of:  In Mike Florio’s post he noted that the Seahawks have almost no obligation to Smith in 2024:

<blockquote>

The remaining $12.7 million becomes fully guaranteed in February 2024. And the Seahawks can cut him before then.

</blockquote>

This does leave the Seahawks in a fantastic position to draft a quarterback and have relatively little dead cap space on the books if they choose to move on from Smith in 2024.  

However, it would appear that the Seahawks have structured the deal to become fully guaranteed a few days after the Super Bowl, which is standard practice for them.

What does that mean?  Barring a disastrous season, the Seahawks will very likely let the deadline to cut Smith pass and the salary become guaranteed and then assess their options in the trade market if they wish to move on from him in 2024.

You should also know that the injury guarantee assures that if Smith ends the year on Injured Reserve, that February $12.7m guarantee is practically set in stone.

So, while there is that option for the Seahawks to escape the contract relatively easily, the chances they will take it are not very high.  This lends itself to the idea that a trade before the roster bonus hits in March is the most likely path if the Seahawks want to turn the reins over to their second-year quarterback.

As an aside, last year the NFL rejected the first version of Geno’s contract with the Seahawks due to the incentives.  They reworked it and got it done quickly.

I wonder how the NFL will view a contract with $30m in “roster bonus escalators” this time?  We will see.

Back to the Cap Space

The Seahawks also need to keep a reserve in place for injury replacements and other in-season player transactions.  In our offseason opus we proposed setting aside $10m for this purpose but $9.04 million will do.

So, theoretically, they are tapped at the moment for free cap space.  With free agency coming next week and the team having needs at spots like defensive line, linebacker, center, wide receiver, backup quarterback and running back — that paints a bleak picture of how they can significantly improve their team apart from the draft.

Fortunately, there are two bits of good news.

The Seahawks can sign players next week even though they do not appear to have any cap room.  How?

Let’s Talk Timing and Effective Space

Cap hits derived from contracts are applied to the cap number not when players are drafted or free agent signings and trades are first reported by one of the league insiders but when they are officially signed on the dotted line and then filed with the NFL and the league puts their seal of approval on them.  The two dates are very rarely the same.

How does that help the Seahawks?  They have a large rookie pool number due to having four high draft picks and 10 total picks in the draft.  The draft is in late April.  Do most rookies sign a contract the minute they step off the stage after putting a Seahawks hat on and posing with the commissioner for pictures?  No.  It usually happens later in the summer.

So, while that $9.66 million of cap space is technically earmarked for the draft picks, the Seahawks can spend some of that room for free agents now and make a move to find that room later in the offseason (in a trade or a post-June 1 cut for instance).  The same goes with the injury fund of $9.04 million.  So, the Seahawks have approximately $18.7 million to spend right now.

Teams do this all the time.  In fact, it is not uncommon for a team very close to the cap limit to file a new contract for an acquired player that puts them over the cap and at the same time file a corresponding release or restructure of another player to keep them in compliance with the cap.

So, before we even talk about who is getting cut, traded or renegotiated, it is good to know that the Seahawks have some cap room available to them.

It can be confusing at times, particularly when the number OTC reports is not the ‘real’ number.  But we always do our best to make sure you have a solid grasp on what is happening.

Effective space is the other area that can demonstrate that cap hits are not as big as initially thought.  The Seahawks only must count their highest 51 cap hits toward their total salary cap number.

You will see the roster balloon up this summer to 90 players as they sign undrafted free agents, practice squad type players and others.

So, at some point this spring or summer the Seahawks will announce they have signed 15 new players and rightly your first thought is ‘what does this do to their cap?’  As long as they are signed for less than the 51st highest paid player, it does nothing to the cap.

What about new players that fall within the top 51?  Their full cap hit applies but it also bumps that 51st player off the cap rolls and that mitigates some of the cost.

So, as a hypothetical example, let’s say the Seahawks have $10m of cap room with 51 players signed and they re-sign Travis Homer to a one-year $1.25m deal.  His salary adds $1.25m to their cap charges but they also gain the bottom salary player’s cap hit back.  Say the current lowest cap hit player on the roster is slated to hit the cap for $750k.  The net effect on the cap of signing Homer in this example is to reduce their available cap to spend by only the difference between the two players – $500k.  

Their cap number after signing Homer would then be $9.5 million.

Despite having a tight cap situation, they do have some flexibility to build out their roster, assuming they are agreeable to making some corresponding moves to free up some cap room at some point later in the offseason.

Before the Seahawks go shopping though, they must take care of their own.  There is a deadline for that coming up quickly as well.

Restricted and Exclusive Rights Free Agents

The Seahawks must tender offers to those two groups by Wednesday March 15, when the league year officially opens or they enter the free agent market and can leave the Seahawks without any recourse.

The most likely candidate for a Restricted Free Agent tender is safety Ryan Neal.  Between his excellent play last year and the still-long road of recovery that Jamal Adams has, it seems like an obvious move to tender him and keep him on the roster.  

The Seahawks can tender him at the “Right of First Refusal” level of $2.627m (which means they can match any offer he gets from another team but get no compensation if they choose not to match) or the “Second Round” level of $4.304 million (which means they can match any offer he gets from another team and if they choose not to match, they get that team’s second round pick as compensation).

They have three Exclusive Rights Free Agents they can and likely will tender for $940k each – LB John Rhattigan, KR Godwin Igwebuike and CB Michael Jackson Sr.  The Seahawks can offer them this minimum number and lock the players out from negotiating with any other team.

Given the Seahawks’ needs at corner and linebacker (as well as special teams), it would not be a shock if they tendered both Rhattigan and Jackson.  Igwebuike would seem a lock as well given the bolt of lightning he injected into the Seahawks’ return game down the stretch last year.

Josh Onujiogu is also an ERFA.  With zero credited seasons, the Seahawks can tender him for the minimum $750k and basically have no cap hit.  They did promote him to the active roster and then immediately made him a healthy scratch for Week 18 last year, likely as a one-time atta-boy pay bump for his season with the team.  Maybe they like him more than people think.

That means there is some money to be spent there.

Do not be surprised if they tender Ryan Neal at the $4.304 million number (making their total commitment at safety for 2023 over $40 million.  Ack.).  

Or they could also forego all that and extend Neal, buying out the tender season.  Maybe a 3-year deal in the $14-18 million range would do the trick.  Neal gets some bonus money and the security of a deal and the Seahawks get a versatile player they can move forward with and a little bit of cap room.  They also put another feather in their quiver of rewarding undrafted, unwanted street free agent types.  

Maybe even a bit of a hedge too, if they decide to approach Jamal Adams about a contract reworking.

Anyway, if the Seahawks tender these players that will charge the cap at about $4.87m.

That leaves them with about $13.83m they can shop with in free agency next week.

But they would need to make some roster adjustments to reclaim nearly every dollar they spend just to have enough to pay their rookies and have that in-season cushion.

How can they do that?

Candidates to Reduce Their Cap Hit

The Seahawks have several players they could make some roster changes to in order to make the salary cap work for them.  We went into detail on most of them in this piece last fall.

I thought I would summarize the primary options in simple spreadsheet form.  I listed the players top to bottom in order of projected likeliness the Seahawks will make some kind of move with them.  I also highlighted the most likely moves in green.  Have a look:

As you can see, there is a chunk of money the team can make available.  At the high extreme end, they can pick up about $40m or so of cap room if they need.

Why is Shelby Harris at the top?  He is a big easy target with $8.9m available and at 32 is at a concerning age.  There is another reason the Seahawks will likely make a move with him sooner rather than later:  He has a $2 million roster bonus due March 19, set specifically for the Seahawks to make a decision on him.

EDIT:  It does appear that Harris will be cut — as he has alluded to it on social media — but nothing official has been announced or confirmed.  Perhaps they are putting a line in the water to feel out options for a trade?

Nwosu seems a lock for an extension if he is willing to bypass exploring the market in 2024.  The max they can pick up is $5.3m but it would be wise to probably count on about $3 million savings at most.

Why is Tyler Lockett’s name on this list?  He is not going anywhere in the trade market, unless some team absolutely bowled them over with an offer.  But that $5.69 million restructuring is a nice little chunk to have in the team’s back pocket.  They could convert some of Lockett’s salary to bonus and push some money out.  It could be extremely useful if they need to create some more injury replacement money, or if John Schneider swings a classic in-season trade for a disgruntled star veteran.

Why is Bryan Mone not on the list?  He endured a particularly harsh injury last year.  He likely will not play in 2023 and his NFL career might be over.  There is a very good chance he will be making use of the NFL Injury Benefit, which provides up to $2 million from the team with a $1.2 million cap hit if he is released with a failed physical designation and cannot catch on with another team.  There is little cap benefit to be had by considering cutting Mone until we know more about his injury.

Putting This All Together

What does all this mean?

Taking care of just their basic needs could seemingly soak up all of their available cap room once again.

If the Seahawks are determined to improve in a big way this offseason, they will need to be more aggressive this offseason.

That means restructuring players, cutting players you otherwise might not, or having a hard conversation with a player you have invested heavily in, like Jamal Adams.

It also means being aggressive with your salary cap strategy in regards to new contracts.  They can do what other teams do, acquire a big piece that helps them tremendously with very little cap room available and just manage the cap to make it work.  

I will make the same pitch I made in January.  Consider:  The Seahawks have bookend tackles, an incredibly talented running back, a limitless corner and more than one pass rusher on very low-cost contracts.  Come April they will likely add a few more extremely talented players.

Add to that, John Schneider has just painted a masterpiece with the Geno Smith contract.  He has flexibility, options and has not committed cap-wrecking amounts of money to the quarterback position.   But at the same time, he could get a very sizable return on the field in 2023 — and longer if they dare draft a quarterback high in the draft.  Maybe even more if he manages to trade Geno for a premium draft pick.

Those are all preambles to something much, much bigger.  The reason you acquire cheap talent that can produce well on the field is so you can spend on the top available talent to max out that cheap talent and take you deep into the playoffs.  

A top player or two does so much more than simply fill a hole on the roster.  He covers warts, draws attention and gives players who have yet to fulfill their true potential the opportunity to stretch out and play with abandon.

If they strike with purpose this offseason and display the same level of shrewdness we have seen since this time last year, they could be set up to consistently make deep playoff runs in the years to come.

162 Comments

  1. Ben - Fort Worth

    ESPN reporting that Carolina is “ALL IN” on Richardson. This draft just keeps getting crazier and crazier!

    • HawkfaninMT

      Didn’t some people put cash down at 1500 to 1?! Would love to know who and how much you wagered to celebrate y’all later!

      • Peter

        Add a zero. That’s where it was at once upon a time.

        • Peter

          Misread yours as 150 to 1.

          1500 to one. What a remarkable get.

          • Justaguy

            Peter, people besides yourself made that bet

          • Rokas

            Put a 100 EUR at 1/27 odds. Still can’t believe why i didn’t ask my US friends to make a bet for me, instead of using UK betting site. II had to split the bet into 4 small bets, which reduced the odds every single time.

      • Robbie

        This was me 😁 if he goes #1 I get 15k for a $100 bet…..crazy!

        • PJ in Seattle

          Rooting for you, bud, That would be a hell of a hit!

        • Trevor

          Made the same bet Robbie but only $50. Would still be sweet. Sucks though as someone hoping to see her in a Hawks uni.

        • Big Mike

          I want him for Seattle but if we’re not gonna get him I’m rooting for you too Robbie.

      • Romeo A57

        I was only able to get $20 in it at 75-1 odds. The online book wouldn’t let me bet more. $1500 doesn’t sound like a bad payday though:)

        I am still not completely that Carolina will pull the trigger on AR.

    • Rob Staton

      Can’t see that anywhere

      Have you read a fake tweet?

    • PJ in Seattle

      Link please? Where you see this?

    • McZ

      This is what McShay wrote:

      “We still don’t know which signal-caller Carolina will target, and it could truthfully be any of the top four names. I’ve even heard a little buzz about Carolina being interested in Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who is a raw prospect but is coming off a huge combine performance. But for now, I’m sticking with Young at No. 1.”
      https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/35768669/2023-nfl-mock-draft-todd-mcshay-post-combine-predictions-31-first-round-picks-quarterback-landing-spots-workout-standouts-trades

      This is really not McShay saying, the Panthers will draft Bryce Young.

      But it’s symptomatic for this fandom, who cannot settle on the idea, that Bryce Young is the least NFL ready QB of the four, and will most likely be the guy falling to #5.

      And then, the Seahawks will hesitate. And we will get away with Wilson, Murphy, or whatever DL snake oil is available.

  2. Hawk Finn

    Very insightful, thanks. I love how you make something as complex and dry as salary cap talk as engaging as you do. Masterful.

    • cha

      Thank you Hawk Finn. That means a lot!

      In just about every avenue of life, be it business, government or just personal decisions, two of the primary questions when something is considered are “how much does it cost?” And “how can we pay for it?”

      If you have a strong grasp on the answers to those two questions you can make good decisions.

      Or in the case of the Seahawks, we can see what options are available to them.

  3. Aaron Bostrom

    I know Stroud seems likely to go 1, but if Panthers take Richardson and AZ sits, am I crazy to think Stroud would be the QB most likely to fall to us at 5?

    • PJ in Seattle

      Stroud falling to us at #5 would be cause for celebration. Who knows? Would feel like a gift to me, though.

      • Sea Mode

        +1

      • Levi

        Houston could also turn around and offer us a whole bunch of picks to get back in for one of the QB’s. If they go defense at #2 then they bump 1 of the QB’s to #5. We could get #12, #33, and Cleveland’s 2024 1st and 4th.

        • Rob Staton

          Or… just take the QB

          Instead of letting someone else have them

          • geoff u

            But why pick a franchise QB when we could take the much easier route of using all those picks to draft 10 stud all-pro defensive players, and then still not win a super bowl?

            /s

            • 509 Chris

              But the 49ers… oh ya you’re right. Qb might be more important than D line in this modern nfl. D line is number 2 because it’s job is to stop the position of most importance, the qb.

              • geoff u

                I do agree with that. Pass rush specifically is the second most important thing.

                • AlaskaHawk

                  49ers would have won with their third string Mr. Irrelevant QB if he hadn’t got injured. Defense! Defense!

        • PJ in Seattle

          All depends on who is there at QB at 5. A trade down is possible if the QBs we covet are gone, but I think JS will race to the podium if a QB he believes in is there. Because they sure as hell won’t be at #12.

          • CojackTX

            It doesn’t matter which QB is available at 5 (assuming they do not go 1-4), as they are all good options. I don’t suspect that Young will even be on the board at 5, but if he is, you take him. He is the consummate “point guard” PC has talked about for ages. No need to overthink things.

            • PJ in Seattle

              I emphasize ‘covet’. You’re right, if they have scouted Young and believe it’s a no brainer. they will take him at 5 and not look back. Your comment on him being the consumate point guard, despite the lack of size and traits, is dead on. There’s a lot to like there, for sure. But he’s small and slight and I believe this is ultimately JS’s pick to make. If he is not bought in on Young and has crazy good offers coming in which include first round capital next year, I believe he would absolutely trade down.

            • geoff u

              I honestly never looked into Young enough to know how good he is, with the assumption he’d be gone. Could certainly be worth it, i just don’t know. I think I’ll wait to see what Carolina’s intentions are first.

  4. PJ in Seattle

    Awesome post, Curtis. Thank you! This bean counter aspect of franchise management totally befuddles me and info like this makese me think I can almost understand it.

    • cha

      My pleasure

      • Justaguy

        I thoroughly enjoy bean counter superficially. Also doubt the efficacy. “To take that one season tag and bet on himself. If he has a second very good season on his resume” is totally a superfluous take. Geno is not a good quarterback and the Seahawks took the bait to build a culture, in the future. Tell me I am wrong

        • cha

          Not sure what you’re saying here.

  5. Zxvo3

    Thanks Cha! Really appreciate you doing these articles. I never really understood how the cap works in the NFL until you started doing these guest posts. They’re very insightful

    • cha

      Great feedback, thank you!

  6. PJ in Seattle

    I do very much like the idea of extending Neal and hope they are working on that now. If not, definitely need to ‘second round’ him.

    Kicks us all in the balls that we have this much cap tied up at Safety, but it’s the bed we’ve made. We are purely guessing at what we may get out of Jamal next year. Neal is a proven commodity and there’s no way I’d let him sign elsewhere on right of first refusal for nothing in compensation.

    • 509 Chris

      I like the sound of that 3 year deal. This club loves to reward its own and he’s been clutch during the adams saga.

    • SpennyDunks

      Even if Jamal is healthy, he might be better suited as a chess piece that PC can move around. Other Seahawks fans like to point out all of the sacks he had in his first season as to why he’s a special player, but the rest of us are aware of the limitations that usage caused in our secondary’s ability to provide good coverage. If PC can move him into positions to utilize his talents while also not destroying our pass defense, I think its a win for everyone, and can keep his snaps limited in order to keep him healthy.

      For that to happen though, he needs to be restructured. it is hard to justify a huge salary for that kind of part-time player. Anyway, its something I’d personally like to see and having Neal to be the more traditional safety definitely makes this more realistic.

  7. KennyBadger

    Love the write up Cha. I can’t figure the cap out on my own and you do a great job summarizing. Thank you!

    • cha

      You’re very welcome Kenny

  8. Sea Mode

    Hmmm…

    https://mobile.twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1634657731125604353

    • Rob Staton

      🤷‍♂️

      We knew that anyway

      Not every team will rate the QB’s

      But then the entire NFL let Tom Brady last to round six

      • geoff u

        That would be excellent news though, as long as Schneider has a more accurate system of rating them. It’d be great if other teams don’t rate the QB’s highly, thus don’t bother trading up or selecting them before us, leaving us with options. I just hate having the last pick of the litter, where there’s just a slim hope that the guy our FO covets is that guy.

    • PJ in Seattle

      Wow – so Hooker, Levis, and Richardson all equal? Let’s let that take run hot through every front office between now and April.

  9. Big Mike

    Thanks cha, very thorough and well written breakdown.
    So how much benefit would there be if my fantasy of Adams being a post June 1 cut were to come true?

    • cha

      $8.44m of cap opens up June 2

      • Big Mike

        Thanks. That’s my offseason fantasy and I’m not giving it up.

        • Lord Snow

          Mine is getting Richardson or Stroud and then second is waving goodbye to Jamal

        • 509 Chris

          Absolutely

      • jed

        Do you think there’s a chance Adams is released with an injury designation & would that change anything? I have doubts he’ll ever be fast like he was before the quad injury. Brutal run of injury luck on top of all the not great on-field play.

        • cha

          Yes a good one.

          Unfortunately that changes nothing.

  10. Chavac

    Awesome stuff. Thanks for breaking this all down.

    • cha

      You bet Chavac

      • EdS

        I don’t know what your day job is, but if you’re not a CFO of some company, you’re wasting your talents. It takes a really smart guy to give me the illusion that I might understand the cap.

        • cha

          🙏

  11. Roy Batty

    Adams might very well be the key to high quality FA signing.

    That is depressing and enticing.

    I’m so confused.

  12. Gaux Hawks

    Rob, where’s the updated horizontal board? I’m drifting around the 2023 depth chart metaverse without my compass… PLEASE HELP!!

    • Rob Staton

      I need to be able to watch the players on tape to add names to it and that work isn’t done yet

      • Gaux Hawks

        …we need to get you an intern

        • Old but Slow

          I am available. Cheap. Incompetent, but cheap.

          • Gaux Hawks

            Looking for an Associate Intern to help out?

          • geoff u

            Good news: I’ll do it for free.
            Bad news: I suck at it and my analysis will be terrible and off-point.

          • Palatypus

            I’m good at it. But slow.

  13. Gaux Hawks

    My gut tells me:

    CAR: Stroud (makes sense)
    HOU: Young (wild card)
    ARZ: Anderson (perfect)
    INDY: Levis (perfect)
    SEA: Richardson (perfect)

    • Rob Staton

      That would also be my guess today

      With the caveat that it’s possible Carolina or Houston falls in love with Richardson

      I don’t think Arizona trades down because they’ll want Anderson and the offer Vegas will be prepared to pay won’t be anything like Carolina’s offer to Chicago, meaning the worth doesn’t add-up to the Cardinals to trade out of that spot

      The only way they move down, IMO, is if Anderson goes #2 to Houston and they then take the best offer to move down because their man is gone

      • cha

        I like Young & Anderson. I’d be thrilled if the Seahawks got either of them.

        But if both of them go in the top 4 I’ll be beside myself.

        • KennyBadger

          Would stroud, AR, or Levis be an adequate consolation prize? 😎

          • cha

            To clarify- Beside myself with happiness that one of those 3 will be available at 5.

            • Elmer

              One has to be available at 5. Even if it’s Anderson. Based on what we know now, please stay off of Carter or Wilson.

      • Gaux Hawks

        – Just get the feeling Richardson’s lack of “leadership” will help push him down to 5 (fingers crossed).

        – Based on my untrained media ear, feels like Levis, Stroud and Young are considered strong leaders.

        – I think Levis ends up being the top QB in this class… unless Richardson can tap into that “unicorn” potential (powered by the PNW).

        • Rob Staton

          Lack of leadership???

          • Gaux Hawks

            More about the three others being touted as great leaders (based on my untrained ear). And really just looking for any excuses to have AR drop to 5.

            • McZ

              The team he didn’t lead was disassembled 30-3 by the Beavers in the Las Vegas Bowl.

              We shouldn’t invent fantasy deficiencies to make up for the fact that we are to half-assed an franchise to trade up and take our guy.

        • vanhawksfan

          Did you see Richardson’s interview from the Combine? Borderline homeless with a single Mom before the age of 10 and always took care of his little brother. Was often late for practice all through high school because he drove his brother home and made sure he was safe before football. Trained as a firefighter at the age of 16. Sounds like someone with his priorities straight. That is the definition of a leader.

          • PJ in Seattle

            Define character and grit in any other terms than these… this is exactly what we look for. BAMFs who know what it’s like to have to struggle and overcome.

            Sucks when others wake up to the value AR represents before we can take advantage, but I’m happy for him as a person. Mid-season, most were saying he needs to come back and play another year or he’d be a Day 3+ pick. Now he’s a legit candidate for #1 overall and certainly top-5. Hopefully a Seahawk soon. Good for him.

            Personally, with Geno rolling out there next year with AR studying and waiting in the wings I would barely be able to control my feels.

  14. Mr drucker in hooterville

    I’ve been playing the what If game. If we want a QB later in the draft, what about Tune?
    https://youtu.be/LUydPxGQcbs

    • Rob Staton

      With respect to Clayton Tune, that would feel like a wasted pick

      He’s just one of those QB’s who goes late and we never hear from again after a year or two

    • PJ in Seattle

      Meh. I’d go DTR before Tune, but it’s not a big gap. Haener in there too, although he didn’t look great at the combine. This is basically picking through the cold leftovers of QBs this year, so if you’re going to spend a pick on one, choose your own adventure.

  15. OakleyD

    I’m reserving judgement on the 4 x QB’s until I see their Pro Days, very different QB’s based on Tape and all are very different projections for the NFL.

    I can see all 4 helping the Hawks if any fall to #5.

    I think most of the fanbase wants to move on from the undersized QB option after so many years with Russ. But we run a different system that we did with Russ under center, I can very much see Young being productive in our system where we are not purposefully trying to force that deep ball 25% of the time.

    As of right now, I have a sneaky feeling Levis will be the one available at #5, but this may change following pro days.

    Also, the aftermath of Jalen Carter’s situation may make the options more interesting for those teams not as high on character as the Hawks.

    • PJ in Seattle

      That’s how it looks to me as well. Pretty sure it will be Levis left at #5 and I am a-ok with that pick.

      • geoff u

        Levis might actually be my favorite, here’s hoping his “down” year playing hurt for a godawful team means no one picks him before us.

    • Palatypus

      I don’t think pro days are all that valuable for quarterbacks.

  16. JimN

    Just a fascinating article Ch!. Thanks so much for helping us just begin to understand the reality of the workings of the cap. You have a vert clear and concise way to put this in an understandable way!

    • cha

      Thanks for reading

  17. Steve Nelsen

    Well I hope the next 2 moves are extensions for Nwosu and Neal.

  18. HawkfaninMT

    Hoping for some extensions then a couple Vikings and a Buc in FA next week.

    Bradberry, Tomlinson, David

  19. Feindt

    Wow, what a busy week on the Blog with daily articles coming to respond to the dynamic nature of the NFL.

    Really appreciate your effort and big thanks to cha providing a great article when Rob has to tend to his „main“ job, although I believe that your draft coverage really equals another full time job.

    • Rob Staton

      Thank you

    • cha

      You’re welcome Feindt

  20. Trevor

    Will the Panthers telegraph thier pick by asking him not to do his pro day and team visits with other teams etc?

    • Rob Staton

      Not sure anyone would agree to that

      Because if they get hurt or the team changes their mind, they’ve screwed themselves

  21. Andy J

    Cha, great read!

    My biggest question is why isn’t Quandre Diggs a possible restructure target???? Oh, wait, I see he is, just last and not mentioned in the article. I guess with all his online recruiting antics, especially with Bobby, I was thinking he’d rework something to free up some spending $$$.

    My biggest disagreement is Uchenna Nwosu being a lock for an extension. He plays the same position as Taylor, Mofe, and (maybe) a draftee (Anderson, McDonald, etc.). Plus, one good year for the team is still only one good year. I bet the team prefers to be flexible.

    With Harris gone. Money to Mone probably recouped. That gives us something like $25 million, yes? Maybe some reworked contracts. Jefferson and Woods still possible cuts. And the ability to backload contracts. There’s the ability to be aggressive. I don’t think the doomsday message at the beginning “the team has ZERO money” is quite right. It certainly isn’t reflected in your final message: “be aggressive.”

    Likely draft hedge FA signings:
    1 RB
    1 Oline (maybe)
    1-2 DL
    1-2 LB

    I’d prefer star talent over depth.

    • cha

      Quandre Diggs a possible restructure target?

      He could be. But he has no guaranteed salary next year on a $15m cap hit. Unless he has a terrific rebound season, he could be gone from the team in 2024. A restructure could/would wipe out that flexibility and render him an anchor weight on the roster and cap.

      My biggest disagreement is Uchenna Nwosu being a lock for an extension.

      Entirely possible.

      But the team has spoken glowingly about Nwosu and his performance completely sealed the gap on the roster with Alton being hurt, Taylor being hot and cold, Mafe still integrating into the league and Irvin being the annual Seahawks veteran retread who doesn’t really contribute anything.

      You can never have enough pass rushers. Unless he wants to test the market or his demands are crazy high, I think it is a near lock that they extend him this year sometime. Gaining 2023 cap space is a nice bonus.

      I bet the team prefers to be flexible.

      They have a handful of roster changes to make to achieve that, and very few of them include letting one of their best 2022 players dangle.

      Talking to Jamal Adams comes to mind.

      I don’t think the doomsday message at the beginning “the team has ZERO money” is quite right.

      If the team keeps treating the cap like a shoebox they keep under their bed with their life savings in it, yeah they do in fact have zero cap space.

    • Andy J

      Hmm… you actually have Diggs as a likely trade target. I wonder if anyone would do that.

      This still looks like a favorable cap situation. $25 million, with the potential to add $$$.

      If we wanted to chase 2-3 decent star free agents, it seems possible. There’s also good talent available in the bargain bin at RB, LB… & ???

      • Old but Slow

        Trading Diggs would seem a good move. He is a decent FS, but the league appears to see him as an all-star. There are a number of big plays you can point to for him, but his overall play seems on the down side.

        A team looking for a safety might be willing to give some value.

        • Andy J

          If someone wants to trade for him, I’m all on board.

  22. Palatypus

    You know, Cha, everytime you write one these articles I do a search on this page for your comments, and that is a frustrating experience. Do you know how many times people use the words “CHAnge and “exCHAnge” on this forum? Or a cap CHArge?

    I’m waiting for Rob to compare a player to a “CHAmber pot”, but it hasn’t happened yet.

    • cha

      LOL !

      Well to be fair, chamber pots are at least useful.

    • Ben

      Search for “cha says” instead?

  23. Peter

    Damn Cha. Excellent work.

    • cha

      Thanks!

  24. Rob Staton

    I’ve found it everyone!

    Let me present to you, the worst mock draft ever written

    https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2023-nfl-mock-draft-bear-panthers-trade-rodgers-trade-jackson-signing/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

    • Saucetrich

      Wow you weren’t even being hyperbolic, That is truly the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Somehow it kept getting worse & worse. I’m gonna go watch puppy videos to compensate for that atrocity.

      • Rob Staton

        He’s got the Seahawks trading down 11 spots in round two for a sixth round pick and a 2024 fourth

        • Ryan

          LOL Michael Mayer falls to 37 and we trade back instead of taking him.

        • cha

          With Michael Mayer still on the board!!!

          Calijah Kancey going at at #75.

    • geoff u

      Somebody’s a massive Green Bay Packer fan.

      Trades Aaron Rodgers, Drafts Levis (15), Keion White (43), Luke Musgrave (45),

    • PJ in Seattle

      Thanks Rob, I just threw up a little in my mouth.

      These mocks are fucking ludicrous. If we finished day one with Miles Murphy and Kelee Ringo, I would personally offer to help John Schneider update his resume and houser shop in his new city. After I sobered up from my rage-drinking, of course.

    • Madmark

      JS/PC has never drafted a CB or a WR in the 1st round and yet every year that’s what they mock.

      • Madmark

        That draft is definitely a A+ on Pro Football Focus Simulator. Sign me up.

    • Olyhawksfan

      Anyone who gives Seattle a cb in round one should have to sit in the corner for an hour.

  25. JimQ

    I see the Rams released 3-4 DE Leonard Floyd…………….. An expensive FA?

  26. EIEIO

    Seahawks gonna do what Seahawks always do…they won’t make a big splash in the “initial phase” of free agency, especially for older “name” guys with big salary expectations.

    That said, at some point they will address maybe one or two positions of need with a young(er) upcoming veteran…thinking DT, WR3 or maybe ILB.

    Then, hopefully, they will let the draft come to them. This year, like last, they don’t “reach” to fill a perceived need.

  27. Ben - Fort Worth

    Supposedly Indy at 4 favored Bryce Young so if Carolina wanted Young, they had to trade into the top 3 at least. they certainly accomplished that by trading up to 1, but now saying they love multiple QBs and apparently just wanted to give themselves the most options. If they really are undecided, better to move back one spot to grab some more draft capital from Houston in exchange for giving them first choice. But even if they have decided on one, it behooves them not to reveal who they favor in order to preserve their leverage with the two (or more) favorites against each other in terms of signability. i know the salary is slotted but there are other contract terms they could leverage.

  28. Peter

    Just watched 25 minutes of “top billin,” the best voice in the YouTube game coupled with some of the wildest seahawks takes ever dog on Richardson. The points essentially come down to this:

    1. First of all he’s a huge Georgia honk so richardson sucks. Except guys like Simms seems to not agree.

    2. I swear he reads SDB because he mentions many times the Alex smith/mahomes contract and says it’s not the same. Except, checks notes, Alex Smith was in a career revival and had time on his contract and so is geno and his contract is essentially two years.

    3. Hooker is the Geno clone. And on this he might not be wrong. Hooker like Geno in college has awesome stats. But geno took almost a decade to get good. Soooo….hooker will take as long? Also Waldron was able to get Wilson and Geno to be as productive. I know, I know Geno balled out. But I already crunched the numbers and they really werent that far apart if they had both played the same number of games..

    4. And finally he missed super important details…..John loves traits. And the most important thing with Richardson. He can be anything you want him to be. That’s what makes him so special. As hard as it is to play qb. Imagine a physical phenomenon like Richardson learning as much nuance as he can over one to two years?

    Okay real finally. The comments and presenter kept banging on and on about dline help. Totally. Except outside the rarest examples it’s going to take any dlinemen 2-4 years to look like their projection. So that seems like yet another in a long reason to draft qb and then hit the dline at 20 and maybe again in the second round.

    • BK26

      I noticed on the video about Carolina trading up that he liked and/or commented on every post that was about Seattle drafting Carter. I didn’t want to try and apply some common sense…didn’t think it would take.

      • Peter

        Yeah. I does do that and it’s super weird.

    • BK26

      Video just popped up for me. Made it about a minute. Video was what you said and the comments are….Seahawk fans that want the easy solution to fix the world: Carter fixes the defense and Hooker has good stats so he’ll take over the league when he finally plays at age 30. Problem solved.

      I’m ready to get this all over with.

      • Peter

        Tyree Wilson. If he would have done a workout I’d be ready for the draft.

        I’ve Robs work tremendously but I’ve had my fill of bad seahawks takes.

    • Rob Staton

      Top Billin

      The guy who slammed those saying Levis was going to be a high pick and that KJ Jefferson, in fact, was the real guy who was going to be the next big thing. We were all wrong you see. Jefferson was the player we should be focusing on.

      Maybe he could do a follow up video on that…

      • Peter

        That’s hilarious. If I was a child and cared about internet fights maybe I would start commenting that take back to him.

    • cha

      TB is the internet equivalent of a cheap energy drink. Always cranked up to 11, and gives you a quick charge but there is so little substance you never really get any benefit, just the feeling that you did.

      Every single move the Seahawks make is the best, smartest thing they’ve ever done and if you do not agree you’re an idiot. He did a video after the Adams trade and instead of just saying he thought it was good, said anyone who didn’t like the trade were “stat nerd virgins.”

      He is completely lacking on nuance or calm, rational thoughts about the Seahawks. Just a giant megaphone shouting out his opinions at an obnoxious volume.

      • Peter

        He mentions this in the video. Not that his takes are bad…of course not that…but he openly acknowledges that he has a huge fan base of Seahawks fans.

        He consistently gets several hundred comments on seahawks related stuff. Much, much more than Brock Huard clips.

        I rarely watch his stuff. In this case I was hoping for some info.

        I think it’s weird as a long, long,long time fan of the NFL that there is so much pushback to the idea of qb. I’m not sure there’s many teams if given the chance to sit a rookie to learn wouldn’t jump at that opportunity.

        I know the league has changed. But if you don’t have someone on a locked four year true 110 million contract and you have a bonus top five pick…who wouldn’t do that?

        • Roy Batty

          Remember last year when he said the Willis was a perfect fit for Seattle and the #9 pick?

      • Rob Staton

        Sounds like he needs to wind his neck in

        • Rushless pass

          He also called people that wanted Levi’s over Richardson clansman. Pushed for Noah Sewell or gervon dexter at 20 and Myles Murphy at 5. He’s a cartoon character

          • Rob Staton

            That’s one description for him

  29. Henry

    I keep seeing Carlos Dunlap comparisons thrown around for Tyree Wilson, but I don’t see it at all. Dunlap was 6’6″ and 277 pounds with 34 5/8 arms. Wilson is 6’6″ and 271 pounds with 35 5/8 inch arms. Wilson had 17 sacks in 4 seasons in a poor conference. Dunlap had 19.5 sacks in the SEC and after only playing 3 seasons. Aside from the size, how are they possibly similar? And this team cut Carlos Dunlap because he did not fit the new scheme, so if he is a “Dunlap clone” how would he fit the scheme?

    • Peter

      Shows you how absolutely poor the dline class is viewed.

      I’m personally super excited about the names around 20-40.

      But yeah tyree wilson vs. Dunlap….they let him go and I nerded out about Dunlap and he had previously played in 4-3 concepts. Perfect for his build.

      Now people think tyree wilson is somehow a top five player and around 50 spots “greater” value than Dunlap was….I just have yet to see it.

      But people keep telling me Carter is like Aaron Donald. Though he weirdly never once played like Aaron donald.

  30. Palatypus

    The Four Horseman of the Seahawkalypse are coming…

    …and the first seal has been opened.

    • BK26

      If we keep 5, 20, 37, and 52 and they all pan out… then we have the 2 best positional nicknames in sports….

  31. Madmark

    On the subject of cap space, everyone seems to be in cap hell except Chicago. Basically it sounds like we are going to have at least 1 big FA splash. I know a few these are going to get there money but there just doesn’t seem to be enough to go around this year. My question is do you think this will depress the free agency market?

    • SpennyDunks

      Unlikely, teams like Chicago have many holes and lots of money to fill them. Additionally, lots of draft picks in the near-future, meaning cheaper talent to counter balance the expensive vets they’ll bring in. Likewise, teams will be able to create cap as they need it, much like Cha demonstrated here.

      Grabbing 2 FAs with as much impact as Nwosu had would be a god send. C and 5T would be the dream, and would really allow us to let the draft fall to us.

      • ukalex6674

        I think I’d rather draft a C on a cheaper deal and have some continuity on the line.

        • Peter

          It’s time.

          To never once draft a Center to play center….and continue on with this experiment of just having any physical body stand there is getting to be a bit of a joke.

          Even when they drafted pocic he started playing as a flip-flopping sides guard instead of center.

  32. Palatypus

    You are right. It is going to be a wild month.

    Post pandemic tertiary market deflation in an inflationary market.

    Many players thinking they were going to get a big paycheck in the first wave won’t get contracted until the second wave.

    Those are the players upon which the Seahawks wait.

    • Madmark

      I meant to say we wouldn’t get that big guy in FA.

  33. ukalex6674

    JJ Watt interested in buying Burnley?!

    Rob any thoughts?!

    • Rob Staton

      Apparently he’s taking a minority stake only

  34. samprassultanofswat

    Salary cap question. How much dead money is involved if the Hawks release Adams?
    .

    • Rob Staton

      Post-June 1st cut data:

      2023 Dead Cap: $9,670,000
      2024 Dead Cap: $14,220,000
      2023 Cap Savings: $8,440,000

      • samprassultanofswat

        Thanks Rob.

  35. samprassultanofswat

    It would not surprise me if the Texans took Will Anderson and the with their next pick to Hendon Hooker. It sure seems like Hooker is getting some buzz.

    • Rob Staton

      And the QB’s got a lot of buzz a year ago

      Didn’t amount to anything

      Hooker could be an option for them but we need to be realistic about his stock

      • Roy Batty

        Age, injury and system.

        Great character, locker room leader and a good arm.

        A lot for teams to think about as day 2 in the draft starts.

    • ukalex6674

      I think Houston will roll with Mills this season and will focus on the D primarily through the draft. I can see them taking Anderson.

  36. bv eburg

    Thank you Cha. Enjoy your very understandable writing style.
    And thank you Rob for my favorite time of year on the blog.

  37. AlaskaHawk

    I keep seeing a comment that it takes a defensiveinemen 2 to 4 years before they are good.

    But there are a couple things the Seahawks need to solve. First the positions In 3-4 offence, I’m not convinced that half the players they had ever fit.

    Second is the poor tackling.even a rookie can tackle.

    I would anticipate a ragged defensive effort for half to three quarters of season and then finishing the season more strongly

    • Peter

      Alaska when I make that comment of course better tackling. Gapping all that can be seen soon.

      I just mean generally game altering level of play can take a few years.

  38. AlaskaHawk

    Sorry about the spelling – my phone screen is too small. 😭

  39. dahveed

    one thing is Carter ” IF ” cleared of charges which is possible changes this drastically .

    • Rob Staton

      Won’t change anything for the Seahawks

  40. geoff u

    Every mock draft now has us passing on either Levis or Richardson to select Jalen Carter or, as the consensus has always seemed to be, Tyree Wilson.

  41. Ukhawk

    49ers sign Javon Hargrave.

    Guess the sting of not signing someone can feel worse than expected !

    • Big Mike

      Good thing cuz their d-line is pretty crappy. 🙄

      Guessing they think they need to win games almost entirely with defense cuz Purdy won’t be back til later in the year and they have little confidence in Lance.

  42. Big Mike

    Jimmy G to the Raiders
    Mike White to the Phins to backup Tua

    • Big Mike

      Texans sign Case Keenum……hmmmmmmmmm

      Does that make it more likely they go for Anderson with pick #2?

      • Cysco

        Or Richardson to sit a year.

  43. AL

    With how the Seahawks have done in free agency so far, coupled with another good draft and if they can get the defense figured out, well you have to wonder just how good they could be this year.

    If they can figure out how to get more consistent play from Geno with an improved pass rush and run defense, it could be a really interesting season.

    And who knows, maybe a rookie quarterback taking over at some point.

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