Releasing D.J. Fluker, Justin Britt clears the cap space. So will Seahawks get a sack man?
The Seahawks have cleared the space.
Will they use it to help fix their biggest problem?
Veteran starting right guard D.J. Fluker wrote online his goodbye Sunday informing Seattle that the team had released him. An hour later, news came that the Seahawks “are prepared to release” veteran center Justin Britt, according to Aaron Fentress of The Athletic.
Seattle has started shedding veteran contracts to clear salary-cap space, and to reduce the surplus of the 19 offensive linemen they had entering Sunday.
Releasing Britt and Fluker will save Seattle $12.18 million in cap space for 2020. That’s more than the team entered Sunday with in total cap room: $10.59 million per overthecap.com.
The more than $22.7 million now available under the cap is more than double the room they had after the NFL draft Saturday.
Neither Britt nor Fluker had a contract-bonus deadline or financial dates to force the savings now. It gives at least the appearance they released the veteran blockers from a surplus of offensive linemen now to move on earnestly to the issue that, if not solved, will keep them from the Super Bowl again: the pass rush.
The can make another run at re-signing Jadeveon Clowney, or in making offers on other veteran free agents still unsigned. Those include former Minnesota Vikings captain Everson Griffin.
There is now room for Seahawks general manager John Schneider to take on the cap charges for edge rushers given franchise tags by other teams last month, including Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngakoue. The 25-year-old sack man has voiced his frustration with the Jaguars and desire to leave the team.
Clowney remains unsigned after not accepting the team’s offer last month. It was believed to be for four years and up to $18.5 million.
“We don’t shut the door on anything really,” Schneider said Saturday on an online Zoom call from his home and makeshift draft center.
Miami was the only NFL team with fewer sacks last season than Seattle’s 28 in 16 regular-season games. That’s a huge reason the team finished 26th in total defense, which in turn was why the Seahawks again did not have home playoff games last postseason. Home playoff games are coach Pete Carroll’s stated key to the Seahawks returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl 49 ended the 2014 season.
“We really did look at the issue of we weren’t happy with the production of our pressure that we put on last year. And so we went after it,” Carroll said after the Seahawks selected the two rush ends plus Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks with their first-round pick Thursday among their eight picks in the 2020 NFL draft.
“We’ve addressed an issue and now we have to make it come to life. It doesn’t mean anything except, how does it work?” Carroll said.
“We have really clear intentions.”
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 6:56 AM.
