The Seattle Seahawks made a smart move when they traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos prior to the 2022 season, and the move has worked out for many reasons. One important one is that Seattle created a lot more cap room than they would have had if Wilson was still on the roster. This allowed Seattle to be fairly aggressive in free agency this year.
Next offseason, however, Seattle is going to have to make some decisions about getting rid of some players currently under contract for 2024. This is especially true as the Seahawks have a young and talented roster and those guys are going to want to get paid as well in the coming seasons. What Seattle does to address the 2024 cap will, of course, affect what happens in 2025.
So which players might be on the 2023 roster that are overpaid this year? Should some restructuring happen now to help next year and beyond go more smoothly? The three players that follow are a bit overpaid for the Seahawks currently.
No. 3 - Seahawks safety Jamal Adams
The hope is that Adams can play fairly early in 2023. There even seem to be some hints that there is no doubt he's going to play. If he does, he could change how aggressive the Seahawks' defense can be, and possibly Adams plays some kind of hybrid safety/linebacker role. But first, he just needs to make it through training camp (I would say preseason games as well but it seems highly doubtful he would participate in those) unscathed and ready to produce in Week 1.
Adams has the highest cap hit of anyone on the team at $18,110,000. Again, it's not like he doesn't want to play and earn his paycheck, but for once since 2020 he needs to do so. He makes Seattle defense a whole lot better when he is being his ultra-maniacal self on the football field. With Adams on the field, opposing offenses may not really know what to expect. Or Adams could miss most of the season again and Seattle would just be eating his immense $18 million contract.
No. 2 - Seahawks tight end Will Dissly
Like with Adams, I am a fan of Dissly's. He works his butt off and does everyone the Seahawks ask him to do as well as he can do it. But the problem is that Will Dissly is ultimately a limited player. His contract pays him $9,190,000 which is the seventh-highest among all NFL tight ends and Dissly is not the seventh-best tight end in the league. He likely isn't the best tight end on his own team. That might be Noah Fant.
Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Dissly was the 15th-highest graded TE in 2022. That isn't bad but his overall grade of 70.8 is by far his best since 2019. He did catch a career-high 34 passes (out of 38 targets which is incredible) and 349 yards, but most of his production came before Week 7. He also missed the final two games of the regular season and the playoff game.
I love having Will Dissly on the Seattle Seahawks. It is nearly impossible to dislike or not respect the guy, but Seattle did a weird deal with him prior to the 2022 season. Dissly was extended for three years and $24 million with the majority of his contract being full guaranteed. For a player who is an excellent blocker but doesn't do much when it comes to receiving and has an injury history, guaranteeing that much money was strange.
Dissly will rank eighth on the Seahawks in terms of his cap hit on the team in 2023. He is an excellent voice in the locker room and he also leads by example, but his contract is just too high. That said, I hope he has 55 catches for 700 yards and 10 touchdown this year.
No. 1 - Seahawks receiver Dee Eskridge
D'Wayne Eskridge isn't that expensive of a player to keep on the roster really, but he still accounts for a cap hit of $1,623,683. His dead cap, if released, is $844,910. That also isn't a lot of money, but it could be enough money to pick up a veteran nose guard after final roster cuts are made by all NFL teams before Week 1 of the 2023 season. If not entirely paying for the veteran NT, that's almost a million dollars that Seattle would free up to spend on a player who is more likely to contribute than Eskridge is.
Some reports have said Geno Smith expects a revitalized Dee Eskridge this year. The quarterback should know how well a receiver is playing, too, so maybe Smith isn't just hoping for a better Eskridge, but he sees proof in the time the two have spent in minicamp together. We will see if Smith still feels the same throughout training camp. (Here's hoping!)
Eskridge has either been injured and not playing, injured and playing but not being productive, or healthy and playing and still not being productive. Part of Eskridge's issue is maybe he just isn't a good fit for the offense for some reason. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seems content to try to force using Eskridge on jet sweeps more than a deep route threat, even though Eskridge appears to have good speed.
Maybe this will be the year it all turns around for Eskridge and he becomes a decent WR4, because after Seattle drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round in 2023, WR4 is what Eskridge has been relegated to at best. Maybe Eskridge just needed to learn how to run routes better or overcome injury better. Either way, he hasn't earned whatever he's been paid yet.