The Seattle Seahawks' current cap room for the coming offseason is not sustainable. While the new cap number has not been announced yet, the number won't go up so high as to help Seattle all that much. Seattle has $4,445,973 in cap room right now, according to Spotrac, and that is not even enough to sign all the draft picks Seattle will take in the 2024 NFL draft.
The easiest way to create more cap space is to make some difficult roster cuts. Seattle releasing safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams would create quite a bit of dead cap for next year but would also open up about $17 million in cap room. Cutting tight end Will Dissly would create another $7 million.
I like Tyler Lockett a lot both as a player and a person. But he is also an aging receiver who relies on quickness to get open. Whether he has lost half a step or not, this season Lockett did have his lowest number of receiving yards, touchdowns, and worst catch rate since 2017. Lockett also has a cap hit of an immense $26,795,000 in 2024. If he were released that would save the team $7 million. But where would Lockett go?
Tyler Lockett could end up with the New England Patriots
New England needs a lot of work offensively. They need a new long-term QB1, more young running backs, they must rebuild their offensive line, and they need about three receivers. The good thing for the Patriots is that they have good draft capital and a lot of cap room (fifth-most in the NFL with $72,702,788). They can draft a quarterback with the third pick in the draft and then have enough room to sign a couple of good receivers.
Lockett would be a great pick up for the Patriots because he would be a veteran voice for the young quarterback and has the ability to play in the slot and outside. While New England does need bigger receivers, such as DK Metcalf, who can fight for balls deep down the field, they also need a high-end receiver like Lockett who can expose opposing defenses in the middle of the field.
Lockett could leave for New England and not take much of a pay cut. He isn't going to earn close to $20 million, but if he signs for $10 million while Seattle would still be paying him $7 million then Lockett isn't going to be poor. I certainly don't want to see Lockett play elsewhere, but if he does leave at least he would be going to a situation that is good for both his new team and him personally.
Tyler Lockett could simply come back to the Seattle Seahawks
This would be the best case for 12s. We all are huge fans of Lockett, right? He is arguably the Seahawks second-best receiver in franchise history behind Steve Largent. He is second all-time for Seattle in receiving yards, touchdown receptions, and receptions. Seeing Lockett play elsewhere would be a lot like watching Bobby Wagner play for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
Seattle has three options with Lockett. Release him and save $7 million, keep him on the roster as is but with the massive cap hit that hamstrings the team, or re-work Lockett's deal. This last part gets to be a bit more difficult, however. Wagner's deal before the Seahawks released him in 2022 saved the team $16 million. He was due to make $20 million.
It doesn't make sense for Seattle to re-work Lockett's deal where they are simply moving his cap hit to future years because he will likely be much less effective in a few years and Seattle is just pushing the current cap problem a bit further ahead. That is unless Lockett is willing to re-work his deal to where he gets paid much less than $7 million in 2024 and that seems unlikely for most players.
But Lockett is not most players. He wants to get paid to play professional football, of course, but his relationship with the team is seemingly a closer one than most players have with their teams. That doesn't mean Seattle should take advantage of the relationship with Lockett, however, but it could also be another team doesn't want to give Lockett much more than $5 or 6 million in free agency either. Possibly Seattle releases Lockett and lets him try the free agent market and he returns to the Seahawks if the market is not that lucrative.
The Houston Texans might be a great fit for Tyler Lockett
The Texans, like the Patriots, have a ton of cap room, but Houston might be the perfect destination for Lockett. Houston already has the long-term quarterback with C.J. Stroud so the Texans won't be starting over like the Patriots. Houston also has a good young receiver with Nico Collins. Lockett would be going to a team where he would be helping a young quarterback, but he also wouldn't be the only receiver who could be productive.
Plus, Houston at this point seems more ready to consistently make deep runs in the playoffs. The Texans went 10-7 with a first-year head coach and a rookie quarterback. They will be better in 2024 and likely in years beyond that as well. Head coach DeMeco Ryans is a fantastic defensive coach so the team won't have issues on that side of the ball. But the Texans offense is only going to get better.
I hope, of course, that the Seahawks are able to find a way to finish better than 9-8 in 2024, but few teams are in the excellent position the Texans are with a young coach, a young quarterback, and a team already good enough to make the playoffs and still with a lot of cap room and the young quarterback on a rookie deal for the next four seasons, most likely.
Why wouldn't Tyler Lockett want to go play in Houston? The warm weather would be nice, the team is going and going to likely get better, and Houston can pay Lockett top-dollar.