Tag: cap casualty

10 potential salary cap casualties for Packers this offseason

Highlighting all the potential salary cap casualties for the Packers during the 2021 offseason.

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he was confident he wouldn’t need to gut his team to work around the financial challenges involved with the shrinking salary cap in 2021.

Gutting the roster is one thing. Trimming it down is an inevitability. The Packers need to shed salary cap space before the start of the new league year, and cuts of veteran players will almost certainly play a part in the process.

For the purpose of this exercise, we considered quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left tackle David Bakhtiari, receiver Davante Adams, defensive lineman Kenny Clark and safety Adrian Amos as uncuttable. Cornerback Jaire Alexander, outside linebacker Rashan Gary, safety Darnell Savage, quarterback Jordan Love, offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins and running back A.J. Dillon are core players that have no logical or functional reason for release.

That leaves the following players as potential cap casualties (capable of saving $1 million or more on the cap in 2021) for the Packers this offseason:

Will Joey Hunt be a cap casualty for the Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks are expected to start B.J. Finney at center, with Ethan Pocic in the mix as well. Where does that leave Joey Hunt?

The Seattle Seahawks had two players, Justin Britt and Joey Hunt, combine to start every game at center in 2019.

However, there is a real chance they head into 2020 without either of them on the roster.

Britt is already gone, having been released shortly after the draft in order to save the Seahawks over $10 million in cap space.

Hunt, who started eight games last season after Britt went down with a knee injury, could suffer a similar fate if the team wants to clear some more cap space to make a push for a defensive tackle.

Hunt is currently expected to compete with Ethan Pocic for the backup center role behind veteran B.J Finney, who was signed shortly after the offseason began back in March.

Pocic has had a hard time staying healthy, and when he has his performance on the field has been nothing to write home about. However, he was a second round pick back in 2017 and his cap hit is about $700,000 less than Hunt’s.

That is not a huge amount, but it certainly seems plausible the Seahawks would gamble on Pocic’s upside over Hunt – who at this point is a known commodity and who costs more, despite having less versatility.

Of course, coach Pete Carroll loves Hunt for his high football IQ, and Pocic has been nothing short of a disappointment in his Seattle tenure, so it’s not like this is a done deal.

There’s also an avenue where both players are kept on the active roster, if Pocic can win a job as a backup guard or even backup tackle in training camp, which is set to begin on July 29.

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Will fullback Nick Bellore be a cap casualty for the Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks could replace fullback Nick Bellore with DeeJay Dallas, who can contribute as a receiving back and core special teamer.

While the Seattle Seahawks have always employed a fullback in the Pete Carroll era, recently the position has become a glorified special teams contributor, often not getting used on the offensive side of the ball for entire games at a time.

That was the case last year with Nick Bellore, a converted linebacker whom Seattle used on just 29 offensive snaps all season long, even though he appeared in 14 games.

Bellore did haul in both of his targets for 23 total yards, including a touchdown against the Cardinals, but it was clear his role on the team was on the special teams, where he appeared in 58% of the team’s snaps and recorded seven combined tackles and a fumble recovery.

Now, with one year left on his contract and a $1.05 million hit against the cap, the question is whether the Seahawks will keep Bellore around for 2020 or dump him to save some cash.

The Seahawks don’t have any other true fullbacks on the roster, but if they wanted to move on from Bellore they could attempt to use DeeJay Dallas, a fourth round pick in April’s draft, in a similar role.

Dallas is nowhere near as big as Bellore, but he was an elite receiving back in college and expects to contribute right away on the special teams, which helps fill the gaps of what Bellore did for Seattle.

While Dallas probably won’t be creating running lanes as a lead blocker, the traditional fullback role, Bellore didn’t really do that either, and Dallas is a cheaper, younger alternative with more upside and a smaller cap hit – making him an appealing option to keep on the active roster over the veteran Bellore.

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Branden Jackson could be cap casualty for Seahawks

Branden Jackson is under contract for $2.13 million, money the Seahawks could look to use elsewhere after making multiple additions at DE.

The Seattle Seahawks have a full 90-man roster and limited cap space remaining after recently finalizing contracts for Bruce Irvin, Carlos Hyde and Geno Smith.

However, that doesn’t mean they are done signing folks in free agency. And with plenty of talented players still available on the open market, the Seahawks could definitely find ways to shed some salary in order to make an addition or two before camp is set to begin in late July.

One way they could do so is by cutting veteran defensive end Branden Jackson. Jackson signed his restricted free agent tender back in April, bringing him back to the Seahawks and paying him $2.13 million in 2020.

While that’s not a huge some of money by any means, it would give the team slightly more wiggle room if they wanted to pursue a defensive tackle like Mike Daniels or Damon Harrison.

Jackson appeared in 15 games last year, recording 20 combined tackles, two passes defended and two sacks as a reserve five-tech. Seattle has yet to make a big signing to bolster their pass rush, but the additions of Irvin, Benson Mayowa and two draft picks: Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson, may be enough to push Jackson out of the rotation.

If Jackson cannot earn a spot over the newcomers, as well as returners like L.J. Collier and Rasheem Green, then Seattle will likely cut ties in order to use that cap space elsewhere.

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Wide Receiver David Moore could be cap casualty for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks could cut David Moore this offseason and save $2.13 million in cap space to put toward a new defensive lineman.

Despite beginning the offseason with a plethora of cap space, the Seattle Seahawks have seen their available money dwindle through a series of small signings, including the recent additions of Carlos Hyde and Geno Smith.

However, they still have yet to make a big splash on the defensive line market, where Jadeveon Clowney remains alongside other impact pieces like Everson Griffen, Clay Matthews, Mike Daniels and Damon Harrison.

For the Seahawks to make more moves and still retain some cap space heading into the season, something general manager John Schneider has always prioritized, they may have to make more cuts.

There are a handful of ways they could go about clearing out cap space, and one includes letting go of receiver David Moore.

Moore was a seventh round pick in the 2017 NFL draft who signed an original round tender to remain with the Seahawks. The tender will pay him $2.13 million in 2020. While that’s not going to massively change Seattle’s financial outlook, it is enough to help them make an addition to the defensive line, while leaving some room to spare.

Moore is likely competing for the No. 4 receiver spot, behind Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Phillip Dorsett. John Ursua, Freddie Swain, Seth Dawkins and Aaron Fuller are all in the mix as well, and Seattle’s plethora of tight ends could push them to keep one less wide receiver than usual.

All that points to a murky future for Moore in the Emerald City, and with a bigger cap hit than any of the other receivers (outside the top three) he could find himself looking for new employment before the 2020 season begins.

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Why Jacob Hollister could be a cap casualty for Seahawks

Cutting Jacob Hollister would save the Seattle Seahawks $3.25 million in cap space, a move they could consider with a crowded TE room.

When Seattle Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister was offered a second round tender as a restricted free agent back in March, it looked obvious that he would be an integral part of the offense once again in 2020.

After all, the third year veteran finished third on the Seahawks in receiving yards in 2019, and was returning to a tight end group that featured the injury-prone Will Dissly and aging veteran Greg Olsen, who had signed a month prior.

A lot has changed since then, however, and not just because of COVID-19’s rapid spread around the country. The Seahawks kept collecting tight ends, agreeing to re-sign veteran Luke Willson and then using two of their draft picks on Stanford’s Colby Parkinson and LSU’s Stephen Sullivan. Adding in undrafted free agent Tyler Mabry, and all of the sudden the Seahawks have a bit of a logjam on their hands.

It’s hard to imagine Seattle carrying more than five tight ends, and Dissly, Olsen, Willson and Parkinson all seem likely to carry a roster spot. The team could opt for Hollister in that final spot, or they could keep Sullivan on the active roster, or they could just roll with the four they already have.

Hollister’s second round tender will pay him $3.25 million dollars in 2020, money the Seahawks could use toward a defensive end or an interior defensive tackle if they decided to part ways this offseason.

Of course, the Seahawks love what Hollister brought to the table last year, so it’s not an easy decision.

Training camp, if it happens in person, will give this coaching staff a chance to evaluate the tight end group in a better light. If they are unable to do so for very long, they could opt for the known commodity (Hollister) even if it costs them some financial flexibility.

It’s a tricky situation that will be one to monitor as the offseason continues on.

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Report: Seattle Seahawks release starting center Justin Britt

The Seattle Seahawks have released starting center Justin Britt, the second of two offensive linemen cut on Sunday, according to reports.

The 2020 NFL Draft was the first glimpse of a sporting event American fans had seen since the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping the nation. But with all the new players added to the roster, cap casualties around the league began to emerge.

Sunday afternoon Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker penned a classy goodbye to Seattle fans, indicating that he had been released by the team. Seattle added right guard Damien Lewis to the squad via the draft to join the numerous offensive linemen added to the roster via free agency.

The next domino to fall was Seattle’s starting center, Justin Britt. While the Athletic’s Aaron Fentress was the first to tweet the news, the move was confirmed by numerous reporters citing sources close to the Seahawks.

Britt himself posted a simple “Thank you” via his Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

Thank You.

A post shared by Justin Britt (@justinbritt68) on

Britt had been a likely cut candidate all offseason, saving the Seahawks roughly $8.5 million against the salary cap.

A six-year starter in Seattle, Britt appeared in only eight games last season after suffering an ACL injury midway through the year.

With Britt and Fluker no longer on the squad, the offensive line will be one of the position battles to watch closely when things finally open up and the new players can take the field.

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Why center Justin Britt could be a Seahawks salary cap casualty

Seattle Seahawks center Justin Britt could see himself released ahead of 2020’s NFL free agency due to being a possible cap casualty.

Following the 2019 NFL season, Seattle Seahawks center Justin Britt has been looked at as a cap casualty by many and could be released by the team in the days leading up to this year’s free agency.

On Sunday, the league announced a salary cap increase of $10 million this season, setting the cap at $198.2 million for 2020.

The Seahawks would save $11.4 million in cap space by cutting Britt, but they would lose one of their best offensive linemen in the process. The team has numerous high-profile impending free agents like Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed and releasing a player with a high cap hit like Britt could assist them in re-signing them.

In recent years, the Seahawks have had a tendency for releasing players before the start of free agency, such as Richard Sherman, Zach Miller, and Deshawn Shead, among others. They could continue this trend in the next few days. However, Britt is said to have been making good progress in his recovery from his season-ending torn ACL, so some may view his release as unlikely.

If Britt is still around after free agency concludes, there is little reason to expect his release but the 28-year-old center’s future could very well be decided in the next few days now that the official cap numbers have been released.

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WATCH: Guard D.J. Fluker pulls truck in offseason workout video

Seattle Seahawks right guard D.J. Fluker posted a video on Twitter of him pulling a truck as an offseason workout.

Seattle Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker wants the world to know he’s well past the hamstring injury he dealt with last year, and he’s not planning to let anyone take his starting job in 2020.

While he could have posted a message for fans, or showed himself doing more traditional offseason workouts, Fluker instead decided to make waves by posting a video of himself pulling a truck onto his Twitter account.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Fluker wrote in the post, in which he made pulling a truck look rather easy.

Fluker remains under contract for the 2020 season, and while there is speculation he could be cut in order to conserve cap space, for now he is expected to be the team’s starter at right guard.

A dependable run-blocker who is entering his eighth NFL season, Fluker will face competition from Jamarco Jones, Phil Haynes, Jordan Simmons and potentially Ethan Pocic during training camp.

If this video has proven anything however, it’s that Fluker will be more than up for the challenge.

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