Tyler Lockett has been one of the most productive wide receivers in Seattle Seahawks history. Unfortunately, like every player, he does have an expiration date for playing football. The truth is that humanity will likely be better served if he no longer participates in the sport (Lockett is a fantastic human being), but saying goodbye to him as a Seahawks fan would be tough.
The fact is that Seattle has gotten themselves into a corner on whether to release Lockett this offseason or not. The team is in a bad way as far as the salary cap (according to Spotrac, the team is over the projected cap by $19,358,784). Moving on from Lockett would get the team closer to the $2 million mark.
That is because releasing the wide receiver would save the team $17 million this offseason. 2025 is currently Lockett's final year of his contract, and he has produced at a much lower level over the last two seasons and will turn 33 years old early in the 2025 season. His cap hit of $31 million next season is far too much for a player expected to be WR3.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald somewhat addresses the future of Tyler Lockett in Seattle
Seattle will likely make other moves, too. The team could move on from tight end Noah Fant, edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones, offensive tackle George Fant, and edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu. That would also clear a bunch of cap room. None of those players offers the same kind of savings as Lockett, however.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reported this week that head coach Mike Macdonald was asked about Lockett's status this offseason. The coach's answer was, as expected, quite bland, and non-committal. There are reasons for this, though.
Macdonald said Seattle is "working through" what to do with Lockett and others. Decisions on the players will be made in the next month or so.
That last part is obvious. NFL free agency begins with the legal tampering period on March 10. If the Seahawks release players such as Lockett, the moves will almost certainly happen before March 10 so that those players can freely negotiate with other teams. Seattle has made releasing players before free agency a way of doing business, such as moving on from Will Dissly, Quandre Diggs, and Jamal Adams last year.
Another important aspect is that while Macdonald probably does have input on which players he would like to keep on the roster, the final say over those decisions is general manager John Schneider. Schneider will decide if Lockett stays or he goes, not Macdonald. $17 million might be too much to pass up for the wide receiver.
There are other options, of course. Lockett could simply choose to retire. He could also be traded. The former is almost as likely as him being released. The latter is difficult because a team would have to be able to afford him. Chances are, Lockett won't be with the Seahawks next season, and that is a sad thing indeed.
