The longtime Seahawks receiver may be leaving Seattle after 10 years with the team.
The Seattle Seahawks fell just short of reaching the playoffs in their first season under new head coach Mike Macdonald. The team had been consistently successful in 14 seasons with Pete Carroll at the helm, making the playoffs 10 times, winning two conference championships and one Super Bowl title. But the team is at an inflection point and longtime GM John Schneider will have to make some unpopular decisions.
The Seahawks are in a difficult financial situation this offseason. The team is more than $6.5 million over the salary cap. Geno Smith is looking for an extension entering his age-35 season. Wideout DK Metcalf is in the final year of his three-year, $72 million contract. And Tyler Lockett is also on an expiring deal, while carrying a massive $30.9 million cap hit.
Lockett is an obvious cut candidate for the Seahawks. But it’s difficult for the team to move on from the veteran, who’s spent his entire 10-year career in Seattle, racking up four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2019-2022.
Schneider will meet with the 32-year-old receiver during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this weekend, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson on X.
The two will discuss the wideout’s future with the team. And while the GM considers Lockett one of his favorite players of all time, a return to Seattle is very much in doubt. “I don’t know. We’ll see how the conversation goes,” Schneider said of Lockett playing for the Seahawks in 2025, per Henderson.
Will the Seahawks move on from veteran wideout Tyler Lockett?
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Macdonald offered a similarly murky update on Lockett’s status with the team moving forward. However, as with most things in football, the decision will come down to money. Lockett is due to receive a $5.3 million roster bonus on March 16. So, the team will have to make a decision on his future by then.
Seattle considered cutting Lockett last offseason as well but the receiver agreed to restructure his deal to stay with the team. Perhaps the two sides can work a similar revision out to bring Lockett back in 2025. If not, the former All-Pro will likely be looking for a new team for next season.
Unfortunately, Lockett is coming off his worst year as a pro. In 2024, he recorded 49 receptions for 600 yards and two touchdowns as second-year WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba replaced Lockett as the team’s number two receiver. JSN actually tied Lockett’s franchise record of 100 catches last season. Lockett’s 100-catch campaign happened back in 2020 when he also had 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns.
