4 Seattle Seahawks that may not finish out their current deals

Player no. 3: Seahawks tight end Will Dissly

The Seahawks did a weird thing with Will Dissly last offseason. Dissly was a free agent tight end, a unit that doesn’t make the big bucks compared to most other position groups in the NFL, and Seattle appeared to bid against itself and far overpay Dissly by signing him to an extension. I like Dissly a lot and think he can help a team win, but paying him as the 11th-best tight end in the league next season is a mistake. He isn’t the 11th-best tight end; He is just paid like it.

Dissly has very good hands as a receiver – he has a career catch rate of 82.1 percent when targeted – and is a great blocker. But he simply doesn’t seem to have the skill set to work himself open very much. He did set career highs in targets and receptions in 2022, but only with 38 and 34 respectively. Dissly’s 34 catches were 26th among tight ends in 2022. His receiving yards of 349 were 31st in the league.

Dissly is probably capable of producing a bit more, especially with a quarterback like Geno Smith throwing him the ball. Smith can clearly see the middle of the field better than former QB Russell Wilson could and that should mean more targets for Dissly. Still, Dissly doesn’t produce high-end numbers though he is paid as he does.

Dissly is signed through 2024 currently. His cap hit in 2023 is $9,190,000 and his dead cap is $11,840,000 so he is going to be with the team next season. But in 2024, Dissly’s cap hit reaches $10,100,000 while his dead cap is $3,100,000. The Seahawks would save $7 million by releasing Dissly. Unless he improves a great deal as a pass catcher in 2023, he shouldn’t be on the team in 2024.