Last season, the Seattle Seahawks boasted the NFL’s priciest safety unit, and if they had kept Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs this year, they would have maintained that status well into 2024. However, opting for Rayshawn Jenkins and Julian Love as their new starting safeties will notably reduce costs.
Seattle currently holds top-10 cap hits in two positions for this season, which are likely not hard to identify. According to OverTheCap, the Seahawks’ interior defensive line ranks sixth in expense, with a total of $37,823,543, and is expected to climb to fourth pending the disclosure of Johnathan Hankins’ contract specifics. Dre’Mont Jones commands the highest cap hit at over $18 million, trailed by Leonard Williams at approximately $10 million following his recent three-year extension, and Jarran Reed at $6,370,000. In sum, the Seahawks are poised to allocate roughly $40 million in cap space to their interior defensive line heading into the NFL Draft.
Breakdown of cap hits:
– Dre’Mont Jones: $18,176,666
– Leonard Williams: $10,400,000
– Jarran Reed: $6,370,000
– Cameron Young: $1,096,877
– Myles Adams: $985,000
– LaTrell Bumphus: $795,000
– Johnathan Hankins: To be determined (TBD)
I’m inclined to challenge OTC’s categorization here because Mike Morris is categorized as an edge rusher, although he primarily played in that position in college. Considering Seattle’s plans to deploy him on the interior — although this might shift depending on the opinion of his former college defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald — it’s conceivable to factor in an additional $875,519.
While Reed becomes a free agent in 2025, the combined cap hits of Jones and Williams currently exceed $50 million. Regarding Jones, his $16 million salary in 2025 isn’t guaranteed, indicating a situation worth monitoring.
Next, there’s the wide receiver corps, the second priciest group for the Seahawks in 2024 and their costliest position in terms of overall cap expenses. Seattle has earmarked $51,537,726 for its receivers, ranking behind only the San Francisco 49ers in this regard. If the 49ers do indeed trade Brandon Aiyuk, there’s a chance the Seahawks could ascend to the top spot outright.
Here’s the breakdown of the wide receiver cap hits:
– DK Metcalf: $24,500,000
– Tyler Lockett: $18,555,000
– Jaxon Smith-Njigba: $3,276,661
– Dee Eskridge: $1,447,457
– Dareke Young: $1,010,275
– Jake Bobo: $918,333
– Easop Winston: $915,000
– Cody White: $915,000
Realistically, only Metcalf, Lockett, Smith-Njigba, and Bobo are guaranteed spots on this season’s roster. However, it remains a costly group primarily due to Metcalf’s significant cap increase from $13.72 million to $24.5 million. Looking ahead to the 2025 offseason, both Metcalf and Lockett are poised for approximately $60 million combined in cap hits.
While it may be premature to focus on 2025 already, it’s evident that significant decisions will need to be made regarding the interior defensive line (iDL) and wide receiver (WR) positions for John Schneider by the following offseason.
