The Seahawks have decided to release CB Cary Williams even tough his contract is guaranteed.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Seattle Seahawks are releasing cornerback Cary Williams.
The #Seahawks are releasing CB Cary Williams, source said. A big-money free agent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2015
This move is a bit surprising since his entire 2015 salary is guaranteed. When he’s picked up by another team in the coming days, the Seahawks will be paying him to play for another team.
Cary Williams had signed a $18 million contract this offseason with the #Seahawks. Turns into a 1 year $7 million deal after release
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) December 7, 2015
Williams was brought in to be a bridge for the Seahawks. Byron Matthews was leaving and the team had no one ready to replace him. Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon were injured, and the younger players weren’t ready.
That situation has changed. Lane is healthy, and Burley and Shead have stepped up and improved. Williams is no longer needed.
Of course, that also ignores just how poorly he was playing before being benched two weeks ago. While he played well in the first month of the season, he was one of the worst CBs in the NFL after that.
Still, NFL teams don’t make a habit out of paying players to play for other teams. This is a weird situation, even for the Seahawks.
Am I wrong suspecting there was more than a performance issue with Cary? Maybe he responded poorly to benching and was going to be an issue?
— bahvoom (@_BVM) December 7, 2015
That tweet is pure speculation, but those dots are easy to connect. There is no street free agent out there who will be better, and now the Seahawks will be paying two players for one roster spot.