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.
Seahawks trade Tyler Lockett to Dolphins
Tyler Lockett is a fan favorite. It’s rightfully deserved too. He is an incredibly genuine player who flies so far below the media that he doesn’t get nearly the attention he deserves. A true star on and off the field.
The problem lies with the Seahawks lack of assets. Currently, the team is sitting in some dimension of purgatory in terms of assets. The only way to regain a better grip on the off-season is to acquire more assets.
Lockett’s contract currently is set to expire at the end of his age-28 season. It’s safe to wonder if investing more into what will be a 29-year-old wide receiver with a history of injuries is a smart decision.
With Tyler Lockett entering the final year of his contract, he is rightfully under the option 1 criteria (extend a player to regain some current year cap space). The amount of money regained would be minimal, but there would be some gain. Something around $3-$5 million in cap space. This would bring Seattle’s total “true” cap space to around $4-$6 million.
Still, the Seahawks are in the bottom half of the NFL in terms of cap space while landing with the 6th most pending free agents. This cap savings does very little to help. Sometimes to gain an asset, you have to give something up.
Proposed trade:
The Dolphins need a bonafide star to help their organization take the next step. They would gain a 28-year-old star wide receiver who is coming off two back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. All it would cost is an early second round pick and absorbing his $11.5 million salary.
For Seattle, they would save $11.5 million of Lockett’s $13.75 million cap hit from the trade. They would also recoup a pick right after the first round. This move alone would get their foot back in the door for getting this off-season under control.
Seeing the trade is cool and all, but what could it practically do for the Seahawks today? Let me show you on the next slide. I’ll dive into what the team can do with the saved cap space and a new draft pick.
Draft pick gained from Lockett trade
There are so many different options with what to do. However, let me just make a list of draft prospects first. I’ll follow this with options at free agency. I think when I am done you’ll see it would be the right move for the long run.
Draft:
Levi Onwuzurike, DT: One of the most athletically gifted defensive tackles in this draft class. A player truly in the mold of Chris Jones with the Chief. He can play the run or the pass. He has the potential to be truly dominant. Time to put our pick where our mouth is and get a competent pass rush.
Landon Dickerson, C: Dickerson is a player who every team would love to have. He is dominant on the field. He has a sky-high football IQ. Extremely strong at the point of attack. Best of all, he is a true leader. Time to invest in getting Russell Wilson the best protection possible.
Javonte Williams, RB: The most dominant running back in college last year. He is a downhill runner who excels in making players miss. When they don’t miss, they bounce off him like a fly off a semi-truck cruising down the highway. Seattle wants to run? Get the best running back in this class.
Kadarius Toney, WR: The Vikings Stefon Diggs to the Bills worked last year. Why not pull the same stunt here. Toney is a human joystick. I am fairly positive the kid doesn’t have any knees. His route running is some of the dirtiest I have ever seen. He can get open without even trying. Leave him with man to man, the DB is going to get cooked. Replace Lockett with a younger player with an even higher upside.
Free Agency
Allen Robinson, WR: Plug the money saved from Lockett’s deal into Robinson’s contract. Robinson is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He has consistently been amongst the elite in nearly every statistical category. However, he has never played with a truly elite (or even good) quarterback. I can’t help but wonder if he would consider taking a slight discount to be able to play with someone of Russell Wilson’s caliber.
Proposed contract: 3 years, $50 million. $16.67 million APY.
Aaron Jones, RB: Jones has been one of the most well-rounded backs in the league for the last couple of years. He has two straight seasons with over 11 touchdowns and 1450 yards from scrimmage. He has the power to run down the middle. The speed to run to the outside. The route running and hands to catch the ball. Finally, the agility to make the most of his opportunities, force misses and get some YAC.
Proposed contract: 3 years, $31 million. $10.33 million APY.
Joe Thuney, LG: Seattle talks about improving the line year after year. 2020 had the best offensive line Seattle has had since the Max Unger days. However, it wasn’t good enough. By the end of the season, it looked to be in shambles due to injuries. Joe Thuney has been one of the best guards in the league over the last 4 seasons. He allowed only one sack across two seasons and 2300 snaps. Talk about an upgrade for the offensive line.
Proposed contract: 3 years, $40.5 million. $13.5 million APY.
Curtis Samuel, WR: Samuel is a swiss army knife of a player. He can run the ball, run the sweep, catch the pass and pick up some major YAC. He is just about 24 years old and has a lot of treads left on the tires. With the new offensive coordinator, Samuel would fill the Robert Woods role in the Rams offense perfectly.
Proposed contract: 4 years, $36 million. $9 million APY.
What I would do out of this:
Draft Javonte Williams to be the new number one back. Seriously, guys, he is that good. Use about 2/3rds of Tyler Lockett’s cap savings to sign Curtis Samuel. The two moves would add major upside and help bring youth into the organization. This would be huge. The runner up for free agents would be Thuney.
Let’s be honest, if Seattle moves Lockett, it likely won’t be the only move. Don’t discount the thought of getting Joe Thuney yet. More moves are on the way.
Javonte Williams, RB:
Curtis Samuel, WR:
I am going to leave you with these two videos. One of Javonte Williams. The other of Curtis Samuel. That way you understand where I coming from.