An in-depth analysis of where the Seahawks are in “True” cap space

The Seahawks worry about “true” cap space so how are they looking for 2020?

Anyone can look up where Seattle is in terms of cap space online. This article dives into where the Seahawks are in terms of “True” cap space.

The Seahawks currently have $14 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. While this number is very healthy, it is important to remember it is not all-inclusive. The figure doesn’t include the rookie contracts, practice squad players, the injury reserve safety net, nor the injury reserve payouts from released players.

Before diving into the numbers, I wanted to give a quick explanation to a cap rule. The NFL uses a rule known as the “top 51” cutoff. This means that only the top 51 contracts on the books are accounted toward the cap. The Seahawks currently have 90 players signed, meaning that 39 players fall below that threshold. The threshold for Seattle at this point is $750,000. This will be important to remember going forward.

Practice squad and injury reserve safety net

Under the new CBA, teams are allowed to sign up to 12 players on the practice squad. It is expected that the practice squad cap hit will be $2.2 million this year.

The injury reserve safety net is a figure that teams build into their cap space. Every year players get injured, it is a part of the game. This money is set aside to absorb some if not all the cost associated with the injury and help replace the player. The amount set aside varies by team, the most common range is between $2-4 million. For this exercise, $3 million is what I am assigning for the injury reserve safety net.

Cap Space (Start): $14 million

Practice Squad: $2.2 million

Injury Reserve: $3 million

Cap Space: $8.8 million

After the deduction of the practice squad cap hit and the injury reserve safety net, the Seahawks are sitting at $8.8 million. This is still a lot of money sitting on the table. However, we are missing two very important pieces to the equation.