A longtime Seattle Seahawks starter could be a potential trade candidate entering the season.
As mentioned by Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine in his list of teams that could be “aggressive sellers” at the trade deadline, the Seahawks are listed as one of those teams. Ballentine mentions three players — with wide receiver Tyler Lockett as the most prominent name — who could be a trade candidate if Seattle opts to rebuild during the season.
“If they decide to go that route they would have a few trade assets who could net a good return,” writes Ballentine. “Tyler Lockett is the most notable. He signed a new contract this offseason, but he still only has two years left on his deal. A trade this season would clear $14.9 million in cap space.”
Why the Seahawks Could Trade Tyler Lockett
The 31-year-old wide receiver remains a productive receiver for Seattle as he prepares to enter his 10th season. The former Pro Bowler actually led the team in receptions (79) and targets (122) and he also posted 894 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns.
Lockett actually restructured his contract earlier this offseason. He was originally scheduled to earn $17 million in each of the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The new deal now calls for him to earn $30 million over two years, with $4 million in added incentives and nearly $13 million guaranteed for the upcoming season.
With that being said, he’s getting older and is obviously less explosive as a playmaker — he averaged 11.3 yards per reception this season, the second-lowest of his career — compared to earlier in his career. When factoring in that his cap number is the third-highest on the team, it would make sense for the Seahawks to trade Lockett while he still has some value if they’re heading into a rebuild.
Seahawks Could Be in Rebuild Mode Entering 2025
While the Seahawks have been 9-8 in each of the past two seasons, they haven’t been anywhere close to truly contending for a Super Bowl. After a surprise playoff appearance during the 2022 season in Geno Smith’s first season as starter, Seattle missed the playoffs last year with a similar record.
The team’s lack of success in the playoffs in recent years resulted in a major coaching change, going from the franchise’s best coach in Pete Carroll to former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks haven’t won a playoff game since the 2019 season and they haven’t advanced past the divisional round since the 2014 season when they lost in the Super Bowl.
“The Seahawks have finished 9-8 in each of the last two seasons,” writes Ballentine. “The roster isn’t terrible, but it’s also not Super Bowl-worthy. It might take a little more remodeling before it gets there and getting a new head coach is a good time to make some rebuilding moves.”
Furthermore, the idea that the Seahawks could replace Smith as the franchise’s quarterback after this season could lead to Seattle making trades to stockpile draft capital.
“That could include trading off some veterans to improve their draft capital,” writes Ballentine. “It certainly doesn’t hurt to build up a stockpile of picks when they might be in the market to replace Geno Smith at quarterback next offseason.”
If the Seahawks get off to a slow start or prove to be a fringe playoff contender for the third consecutive season, don’t be surprised if Seattle starts selling off assets, including trading key pieces such as Lockettt.
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