NFL teams have $198.2 million in total cap space at their disposal in 2020. As it currently stands, the Seahawks still have a little more than $16 million left in the bank. That’s a bit misleading as rookies aren’t factored into that number just yet and teams also need to stash some away for when players go on Injured Reserve.
I wouldn’t get too hung up on that number as teams can get creative and create cap space if they need money to sign a player, say, strictly hypothetically here, someone like Jadeveon Clowney. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important to understand where the money has already been spent, what’s on the horizon and what stands.
There are 25 players set to make more than $2 million in 2020. I listed all 25 below, broken down by position. From there, I went through some takeaways to help you better understand Seattle’s current (and future) standing in regards to cap space.
Quarterback
Russell Wilson - $31,000,000
Offensive Line
Duane Brown - $12,562,500
B.J. Finney - $3,500,000
Brandon Shell - $3,475,000
Mike Iupati - $2,500,000
Cedric Ogbuehi - $2,237,500
Joey Hunt - $2,133,000
Running Back
Rashaad Penny - $2,936,028
Chris Carson - $2,149,285
Wide Receiver
Tyler Lockett - $12,250,000
David Moore - $2,133,000
Tight End
Greg Olsen - $6,906,250
Jacob Hollister - $3,259,000
Defensive Line
Jarran Reed - $9,350,000
Bruce Irvin - $5,906,250
Benson Mayowa - $3,018,750
L.J. Collier - $2,462,745
Branden Jackson - $2,133,000
Linebacker
Bobby Wagner - $14,750,000
K.J. Wright - $10,000,000
Cornerback
Quinton Dunbar - $3,421,875
Shaquill Griffin - $2,322,655
Safety
Bradley McDougald - $5,402,084
Quandre Diggs - $5,168,750
Kicker
Jason Myers - $3,600,000
Dead Money ($5,451,278)
Justin Britt - $2,916,668
Ed Dickson - $866,668
Gary Jennings - $535,239
D.J. Fluker - $500,000
Amarah Darboh - $176,572
Nazair Jones - $176,572
Tedric Thompson - $168,003
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Takeaways
-- Seattle has done a nice job avoiding dead money. The Seahawks own the 8th fewest amount of dead money across the NFL. By comparison, the Jaguars have more than $37 million in that department.
-- Seattle’s top five contracts total $80,562,500, which is about 41% in total cap space. That’s not a huge shock given Wilson’s mega deal as well as Wagner’s record-setting extension. But I don’t view that as a hinderance in the way that some do.
The Seahawks issue is a lack of value contracts, namely impact players on rookie contracts. This is a byproduct of not drafting very well in recent memory. Seattle has cheap starters, sure, but not many who you’d view as foundational pieces. The Seahawks traded away Frank Clark and just paid Jarran Reed this offseason. The silver lining here, if you’re looking for one, is that there aren’t many other big contracts coming down the pipeline in Seattle. The lone exception is…
-- Shaquill Griffin. The greatest position of value on Seattle’s current roster is cornerback. Griffin and Quinton Dunbar offer extreme upside for players making a combined $5.7 million. That will surely change in 2021. Griffin is coming off of his firsts Pro Bowl season and could be a perennial attendee at the NFL’s annual All-Star Game. Dunbar has similar potential if he can find a way to stay healthy (he’s yet to play a full 16-game season). Assuming they’ll want to, the Seahawks should have no problem re-signing both corners next offseason because…
-- K.J. Wright (more on him in a second) and Duane Brown, two of Seattle’s five biggest contracts, should be off the books in 2021. Wright is entering the final year of his deal, and while Brown is still under contract for an extra year, he’d need a bounce-back season of epic proportions in 2020 in order to justify his $13,000,000 cap number in 2021. Cutting Brown as a cap casualty next offseason, similar to what Seattle did recently with Justin Britt, would save the Seahawks $11,000,000 with just $2,000,000 in dead money.
-- There are a few easy opportunities to save money immediately should the Seahawks need a few extra million in the short term, in case, you know, again totally hypothetical here, they make another push for that Clowney guy.
Cutting Jacob Hollister, David Moore, Joey Hunt or Branden Jackson would save more than $2 million each without a single dollar of dead money. All four could potentially be on the chopping block. By my estimation, Hunt’s job is the safest given he’s Seattle’s likely backup center in 2020, but that may change if Ethan Pocic finally emerges in training camp. If Seattle really got desperate to clear up some cash, they could approach Wright about restructuring his deal. However, I don't think you can do that to one of your senior leaders and longest-tenured player unless you know exaclty how those funds will be allocated.
-- The breakdown above really illustrates that Seattle is balling on a budget, so to speak, when it comes to protecting Russell Wilson. Brown is the only offensive lineman to have a cap number above $3.5 million. Should Finney and Shell turn out to be quality players, John Schneider will look like a mastermind. It’s also important to take 2020 third-round pick Damien Lewis into consideration as he’s expected to be a Day 1 starter.
-- Those who want to find a bone to pick with Seattle’s front office can look to a few deals. Jason Myers is getting paid a bunch of money and struggled mightily in 2019. He made just 82.1% of his field goals and missed four extra points. However, the Seahawks are stuck hoping that Myers can bounce back in 2020. Cutting him would actually cost Seattle $900,000. That’s the difference in Myers’ $3.6 million cap number and the $4.5 million the team would assume in dead money upon cutting the kicker.
Olsen’s $6.9 million cap number is also a bit of an albatross. So, too, is Irvin’s $5.9 million number. Given Olsen’s career success and Irvin’s 8.5 sacks in 2019, it’s fair to take a “let’s see how it plays out” approach, even if you’re on the skeptical side of those deals. Should either of them flop, there would be plenty of warranted criticism.
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May 12, 2020 at 06:16AM
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