What a Tyler Lockett trade could look like for Seahawks

The Seahawks are coming into a weird off-season. They have very little cap space and a lot of free agents. Including quite a few starting players hitting the market. The final nail in the coffin, they have only 3 draft picks for this upcoming draft.

There are 3 ways to fix the cap space issue. First, you can extend/restructure a player’s contract. This can push some of the current years’ cap hit into the future. Think of this as borrowing against a credit card. It helps today while hurting tomorrow. It will come due.

Second, you can cut a player. This will result in some dead cap but likely some regained. Finally, you can trade an asset. This option results in the most upside in terms of potential. Reducing cap liabilities, while gaining an asset.

Seahawks options

Option one is the one where most people are at. It will help get Seattle some additional cap space. However, it does nothing for draft picks (cheap labor) and further ties Seattle to an aging core.

This article is intended to go over option 3. Trading away a player to reduce the cap hit for the current year and get some draft capital in return.

This likely isn’t something that an average fan looks at and wants. However, something will need to be done. It’s highly unlikely Seattle is content with going into the off-season with $1 million in effective cap space and 3 draft picks. Especially with only one pick in the first 3 rounds.

A trade seems like the most efficient way to help clear cap space, lower the average age of the roster and get some picks in this VERY talented draft.

This article is a part of a series. I will continue diving into other player’s trade evaluations as the weeks go on. Keep your eyes peeled for my other articles as they drop.