As Seahawks wait on Jadeveon Clowney, veterans emerge as candidates to become salary cuts
All of a sudden, that salary-cap space the Seahawks had at the beginning of the offseason has narrowed.
They’ve gone from more than $54 million last month to $18.3 million entering Friday, the fifth day of the NFL free agency period.
That reduction accounts for Seattle signing free agents Greg Olsen and B.J. Finney, giving a second-round tender to restricted free agent Jacob Hollister, original-round tenders to David Moore, Joey Hunt and Branden Jackson, tendering exclusive-rights free agent Malik Turner and more.
That doesn’t account for the signings the team has yet to officially announce, including free agents Bruce Irvin, Brandon Shell, Cedric Ogbuehi and Luke Willson.
And, of course, it doesn’t include Jadeveon Clowney.
It wouldn’t be a Seahawks story this month without a mention that Clowney remained an unsigned free agent entering Friday. He’s the top one remaining on the league’s market. He’s received multiple offers and hasn’t liked any of them, none approaching over $20 million per year he was seeking to become one of the game’s top-paid edge rushers.
The longer he remains unsigned, the better the Seahawks’ chances to re-sign the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end more from around $18 million or so per year believed to be Seattle’s offer range.
If that happens, the Seahawks are going to need more salary-cap room. And even if it doesn’t the team still needs to do more to improve the pass rush; only Miami had fewer sacks last season.
Plus, the Seahawks need to allocate about $7 million for the eight choices they currently own in next month’s draft. And then they need some more money to sign undrafted rookie free agents, and for injured-reserve players that come up during the 2020 season.
Candidates to be cut
They have three top veteran candidates to release, listed in order of likelihood they will be cut:
1. Ed Dickson: The 32-year-old tight end has been injured for both of the seasons he’s been with the team since signing a three-year, $10.7 million deal before the 2018 to replace departed Jimmy Graham. Seattle signed Olsen, the three-time Pro Bowl veteran, last month for one year and $7 million. The Seahawks have Will Dissly, whom they love, coming off a ruptured Achilles from October. They are optimistic on his recovery but aren’t yet sure when he’ll be back on the field.
They brought back Hollister for what right now is more than $3.2 million for this year. They re-signed the popular Willson. Shell, who agreed to his two-year, $11 million contract on Wednesday, has been an extra blocking tight end with the Jets like George Fant, who signed with New York this week, had done the last two seasons for Seattle.
In other words, they don’t need Dickson any more. They will save $3 million against the cap by releasing him, likely soon.
2. Tedric Thompson: You lose your job, force your team to make a trade to get your replacement, then have season-ending surgery, you are in danger of losing your place on the roster. Then you get it floated that your team has given you permission to seek a trade, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday?
The Seahawks might as well have announced they were cutting him in advance.
Seattle’s fourth-round pick from 2017 took over for departed All-Pro Earl Thomas as the starting free safety to begin last season. In the first game he mistimed his jump on a pass from Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton and allowed John Ross to get behind him for a long touchdown pass. By October the Seahawks traded for Quandre Diggs to take his job. Thompson then chose to have surgery on his shoulder labrum. He hasn’t been on a field since.
The Seahawks will save $2.13 million against their cap if they can somehow find a team willing to trade for Thompson. More likely, they will release him.
3. Justin Britt: This is the trickiest one.
Britt had season-ending knee surgery, a complete reconstruction, in October. He may not be ready for the start of training camp in late July. The Seahawks just signed and re-signed two guys who could replace him. And Britt’s salary-cap charge is huge.
But coach Pete Carroll talked last month at the NFL scouting combine as if Britt is excelling working back into the team’s plans for 2020.
“He looks real good,” Carroll said. “I’ve seen him a number of times coming through the building, and all. His attitude and...I know I’m hearing of the work ethic he’s putting forth is exactly what we would hope for right now.
“He is doing great. He is going to come roaring back from this surgery.”
Finney has mostly been a left guard in the NFL but started two games in 2019 at center for the Steelers, and by accounts in Pittsburgh he impressed. He could be a younger, cheaper center for Seattle this year.
Hunt was the starting center for the final 2 1/2 months of last season after Britt got hurt. He was physically over-matched by pass rushers at times, though Carroll and Schneider praised his play.
Britt’s three-year, $27 million contract extension he signed in Aug. 2017 ends after the 2020 season, thanks to the team picking up his option for next year in the spring of 2018. Like most veteran extensions, the salary-cap charges for his extension years balloon in the final years, back-loaded to be more cap friendly up front in the first years of the deal.
The Seahawks could save $8.75 million against the 2020 salary cap by releasing the 28-year-old. But he’s been good for them at center, with a keen understanding of protection calls and a smooth synchronicity with quarterback Russell Wilson. Britt’s been a Pro Bowl alternate for them at center, after he failed at tackle then at guard his first two seasons with the team.
His $11.67 million cap charge is scheduled to be the fourth-highest on the team this year. That’s behind only franchise pillars Wilson and Bobby Wagner, then Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown. Britt’s cap charge is more than Tyler Lockett, the team’s top wide receiver.
It was noticeable at the combine in Indianapolis last month that Seahawks general manager John Schneider, unprompted, brought up two other options at center for 2020 when I asked him about Britt’s recovery.
“That’s an unfortunate thing for him, you know. But Joey (Hunt) came in and played real well,” the GM said of Britt’s replacement at center the latter half of last season. “And (Ethan) Pocic can play there, as well.”
Releasing Dickson, Thompson and Britt would save $13.88 million against the cap.
Teams don’t worry a ton about cap space when doing deals like Seattle is trying to do with Clowney. They can and almost always do find ways to make the numbers work while getting the players they really want.
What about K.J. Wright?
Some may think K.J. Wright is a candidate to be released because of the team could save $7.5 million against cap charge for 2020, the final year of his two-year contract, and his age (31).
But the longest-tenured Seahawk earned this second, non-guaranteed year of his deal with one of the best seasons of his career in 2019.
“Yeah,” he said in front of his locker at Lambeau Field Jan. 12 after the Seahawk’s season-ending playoff loss in Green Bay.
His laugh revealed he was satisfied with a job well done.
“I can’t lie,” he said. “It was a team effort, and I can’t take all the credit. But coming back the way I did, I’m proud of myself.
“I give myself a pat on the back for that.
“And, so, got to do it again.”
He absolutely should be doing that with the Seahawks in 2020.
If they need it, and they likely will, they can find cap space elsewhere.
