Three potential trade partners for Seahawks star Tyler Lockett
The Seahawks could clear a lot of cap space, pick up a valuable draft pick or two, and likely get a lot younger. He’ll turn 30 this season, after all. The drawback: who wants to lose Tyler Lockett!
Believe me 12s, I hate to even consider trading the fabulous Tyler Lockett. He’s coming off his third straight season with at least 1,000 yards receiving, his fourth with 1,000 yards from scrimmage, and at least eight touchdowns. As Lee Vowell wrote coming into the 2021 season, signing Lockett to an extension was critical to the Hawks continued success.
It didn’t play out that way, but imagine the season without Lockett. On second thought, you don’t have to. Without Lockett, Seattle only managed 10 points versus the Rams. Playing just a day after he was activated from the COVID reserve list, the seriously depleted Lockett – who lost eight pounds from his 180-pound frame – only managed 30 yards on 3 catches. So a future without him on the field could be ugly.
Seahawks would drastically miss Tyler Lockett, but a trade still makes sense
A future without Tyler Lockett in the locker room could be even bleaker, though. The Seahawks offense was foundering badly. Outside of a 31-point laugher over the hapless Jaguars, Seattle only managed 23 points in the previous month. That was total points, as I’m sure we all painfully recall. Lockett was the one player to step up and call out his team’s coaching.
Maybe Russell Wilson got healthier, or maybe it’s just a coincidence. However, it is a fact that after Lockett’s analysis, the Seahawks scored over 30 points in four of their last seven games. Before that post-game statement, the Hawks averaged 19.4 points per game. Post-Lockett tells it like it is, Seattle hung 28.7 points on the opposition. Over a full season, that would have placed the Hawks third in the league in scoring. Holy cow, do we really want to trade this guy away?
Well, yes. Maybe. Lee Vowell already touched on why the team might want to move Lockett when writing about three potential Seahawks trades. Lockett’s cap hit for 2022 is just over $10 million, as you can see on spotrac.com. That’s not as onerous as it will be in the following seasons – in 2023 nearly $17 million, then just under $24 million for the next two years. Lockett’s salary takes a huge jump in 2023 as well, from $3 million to $9.7 million. This is why 2022 might be the best year to move him.
To be clear, Seattle doesn’t have to trade him this year. From a financial standpoint, the Hawks are looking good as they have $36.5 million in cap space right now. That ranks eighth in the league, according to overthecap.com. But Lockett’s relatively low cap hit and his banner performance would bring the greatest return this year. There are several teams starved for a top-line receiver, and that definitely describes Tyler Lockett.