Examining the Seahawks “True” cap space after a wild weekend of trades and cuts

The final steps to get the  Seahawks “True” cap

Practice squad and injury reserve safety net

The NFL has allowed NFL teams to have a 16-man practice squad. This is up from the original number (12) that was agreed upon during the spring’s CBA. The original cost was estimated at $2.2 million. With the additional 4 bodies, I expect this number to jump up to roughly $2.9 million.

The injury reserve safety net is a little hairier. Typically, teams set aside $2-$3 million every year. This is used as a ‘just in case’ a player gets seriously injured and needs to be replaced with an outside body. With the new agreement in place between the NFLPA and the NFL there is now a temporary IR. This will be used if a player tests positive for COVID-19.

This leads me to believe the standard amount allotted for this may grow slightly. I am going to be safe and set aside $4 million for the safety net in these uncertain times. If nothing else, this will be worst-case scenario.

Failed Physical Designation (FPD – releases)

The Seahawks released 4 players with a failed physical this year. The released players are Ed Dickson, Justin Britt, Nazair Jones and Tedric Thompson. Per the CBA, if a player is released with a failed physical and remains unsigned by the time the regular season begins, the team that released the player will be responsible for a payout. The payout comes at the lesser of the two; 50% of the player’s original base salary or $1.2 million.

As for Justin Britt and Ed Dickson, they will both fall under the $1.2 million limit. Nazair Jones and Tedric Thompson will both fall under the 50% of the base salary bubble. All in all, this has a potential cap charge of $3.84 million.

A keynote: If any of these players sign with an organization before the regular season, the Seahawks will no longer be responsible for these payouts. There is a decent shot that Tedric Thompson, Nazair Jones and Justin Britt will sign with another team.

Ed Dickson is likely done in the league after numerous injuries. This gives a floor of $1.2 million and a ceiling of $3.84 million. For the sake of this article, we will play it safe. If you want to read more about the breakdown of this rule, click here.

Final Cap Breakdown:

Cap Space (Start): $10.37 million

Jamal Adams Trade (Net): $500k

Players Released: $4.32

Draft Pool: -$629k

Practice Squad: -$2.9 million

Injury Reserve: -$4 million

FPD-Releases: -$3.84 million

“True” Cap Space: $3.8 million

This is a worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario would be that Justin Britt, Tedric Thompson and Nazair all sign elsewhere. There is also the chance that the Seahawks allot a lower amount for the injury reserve safety net, something around $2 million.

Were this to happen, the “True” cap would be a little healthier. This would bring the best case scenario to around $8.5 million. This would be more than enough space to bring make another move or two.