Seahawks release Shelby Harris

How much cap space does Seattle have entering free agency? Seaside Joe 1472

The Seattle Seahawks released Shelby Harris on Monday. The move saves $8,941,176 against the 2023 salary cap, money that the Seahawks just absolutely had to have right now even if it means parting with one of the more popular people and interviews on the team.

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Mike Garafolo @MikeGarafolo

The #Seahawks plan to release DL Shelby Harris, source says. Seattle has explored possible trades but hasn't found a taker yet for the nine-year veteran who played well last season. Harris, who was part of the Russell Wilson deal, was set to make $9 million this upcoming season.

The move puts the Seahawks around $29 million in cap space and the NFL’s tampering window for free agency opens at 9 AM PT on Monday. Teams can sign players from other teams as of Wednesday, but the Seahawks rarely (as in never) get involved with those “first-wave” signings.

Harris was part of the package that came to the Seahawks in the Russell Wilson and ended up as kind of “the last piece” just by way of the fact that fans tend to focus on a) draft picks, b) quarterbacks, and c) former first round picks. That put Harris well behind the first and second rounders from the Broncos, and Drew Lock, and Noah Fant.

But Harris definitely had a bigger impact on the 2023 Seahawks than Lock, was probably more valuable than Fant, and can make his argument that even against the 2022 draft picks he was the most valuable short-term piece in the deal. However, the reviews on Harris I read from Broncos country were mixed, at least as far as on-field contributions go; this doesn’t mean that Harris wasn’t beloved and right now I’d say he has lifelong fans in both Denver and Seattle.

James Palmer @JamesPalmerTV

A MUST WATCH interview with former #broncos DL Shelby Harris on beating his old team. He. Had A LOT too say. Our interview on @nflnetwork

Unfortunately for Harris, his contributions as a defensive end are often available at prices that go far below the $12.2 million cap hit that he was set to account for in 2023. Knowing that Pete Carroll also hated the 2022 run defense, and that Harris doesn’t bring anything as a pass rusher, his departure was inevitable unless he accepted a massive paycut. If that was even on the table.

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Pete and John have been adament about rebuilding the defensive line and run defense. This is just one of the moves that starts pushing the Seahawks in that direction, but it won’t be the last.

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