4 Seahawks who'll benefit most from John Schneider's roster overhaul

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett should feel loved

This one gets a bit more complicated and goes both ways. The Seattle Seahawks likely had strong thoughts about moving on from Lockett because he is an aging receiver who in 2023 had his worst season since 2017. Instead of Seattle's passing game exploding after adding rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the offense digressed last season. This was not all Lockett's fault, of course, but he also was not his best.

Tyler Lockett also could have chosen not to work with the team on a restructured contract and ultimately take less money to come back in 2024. He could have been released and then tried to test the free agency market. But the team, the receiver, or 12s wanted to see Lockett play for another team.

Lockett's contract now is structured to imply that he will not be back in 2025. Over the Cap lists his cap number in 2025 at $30,895,000 which is far too much for a smaller receiver who will be 33 years old during the season after next. Lockett has zero dollars in guaranteed money after 2024 as well. Releasing him would save the team $17 million.

Lockett, though, could rebound to his pre-2023 levels, especially as the Seahawks have a new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, who is much more likely than former OC Shane Waldron to maximize what Lockett can do. Lockett's targets might dip, but his yards could increase because of the design of the offense. That is the hope anyway.

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