Do not blame Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald for the mess the team currently finds itself in financially. Seattle has no cap room this offseason currently, though the team must release or restructure players to get cash to spend. The easy way would be to move on from the contracts of players such as Dre'Mont Jones and Tyler Lockett.
Still, even when creating space, the team is unlikely to have the money needed to sign high-quality, high-priced players at positions of need. The team is simply in a terrible situation this offseason. Much of the fault for that can be blamed on general manager John Schneider who overpaid for Jones, for instance.
One of the issues is that the positions that need the most help for the Seahawks, such as guard and center, also have a glut of free agents available this offseason. According to Pro Football Focus's ranking (subscription required) of the top 15 offensive free agents, five of them play either guard or center. Should Seattle have the money, they could try to chase two of them and greatly improve the terrible offensive line from 2024.
Seattle Seahawks cap room woes might cause an offseason of doom
That cannot happen, though. Plus, even if the Seahawks had cash there is no guarantee that Schneider would spend that on the interior of the offensive line. Seattle should at least draft a guard or center high in the 2025 NFL draft, but that is unlikely as well. Instead, what 12s see next year is likely the same as this season.
That will not equal success, of course. At least, not at a level that would allow the team to get back to the postseason and be a threat once there. This has been the way since the late 2010s, and while the Seahawks remain competitive, they also aren't moving up to being better.
There have been other issues besides the offensive line, of course, but none as consistently challenging. 12s will see free agents such as Kevin Zeitler, Teven Jenkins, Will Fries, Drew Dalman, and Trey Smith re-sign with their own teams or sign elsewhere. Seattle is unable at this point to even come close to matching a high-end deal for one of those players.
Again, though, Schneider seems unwilling to pay big money to a guard. Seahawks fans should expect an offensive line in 2025 that consists of Charles Cross, Sataoa Laumea, Olu Oluwatimi, Anthony Bradford, and Abe Lucas. That means more issues running the ball, more hits on quarterback Geno Smith, and another team just short of making the playoffs.