Seahawks cap space update
Did Seahawks make any major mistakes to reach $72 million in dead cap?
Releasing Noah Fant saved the Seahawks $8.5 million against the 2025 salary cap, but added another $4.5 million to the total on Seattle’s dead cap, which now stands at $72 million per OTC. Putting Kenny McIntosh on IR will account for $1 million.
The Seahawks now have the fourth-highest dead cap hit in the NFL behind only the 49ers, Saints, and Eagles.
Although you could argue that the Browns are in the worst position on this entire list because in addition to $68.3 million in dead cap, Cleveland is also paying $36 million for a Deshaun Watson who does absolutely nothing and doesn’t seem likely to return this season, if ever. If you added those two numbers together, the Browns would stand at $104 million.
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In any case, did the Seahawks made any grand mistakes to put themselves in this position or are these charges just the cost of doing business? Let’s assess where John Schneider went wrong with each player who has a dead cap charge in 2025:
WR DK Metcalf - $21 million
Mistake? No
Seattle paid Metcalf a perfectly standard three-year, $72 million extension in 2022, right on schedule and easily predictable. It was just as predictable that the Seahawks would trade Metcalf in 2025 because receivers of his caliber are incentivized to holdout going into a contract year; just look at Terry McLaurin right now.
DK’s situation could maybe expose a flaw in the NFL’s contract system:
It was the logical move to extend him before a contract year in 2022
It was also the logical move to trade him before a contract year in 2025
But two logical moves = $21 million in dead cap?
How can this outcome be what teams want out of their GOOD draft picks? Will teams and players ever manage to get on the same page again in which they actually play for the length of the contracts they sign? I’m not even blaming the players because they are also making the logical moves for them based on the system in place. Is there a system out there that would suit both sides or is there always going to be this time when the team is essentially forced to trade the player and eat the money because of the contract?
Seattle will not carry any dead cap for Metcalf in 2026 and they got a second round pick, which is a lot more than most teams can say when they part with a player over money.