As the Seattle Seahawks enter a new era with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, the idea of trading a star offensive player for a couple of veteran defensive pieces would make sense.
In a list of hypothetical three-team trade scenarios compiled by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, one of the major deals included is the idea of the Seahawks unloading wide receiver Tyler Lockett.
The three-team deal would also include the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals and would see Seattle send Lockett and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Bengals and a 2025 second-round pick to the Jaguars. In return, the Seahawks would acquire edge rusher Travon Walker and Super Bowl champion cornerback Ronald Darby. The Jaguars would also acquire Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.
The argument for unloading Lockett for two defensive pieces is simple — save money on the salary cap while acquiring a young, pure pass rush artist in Walker.
“Seattle has less than $1 million in cap space available but could save $14.9 million by trading receiver Tyler Lockett,” writes Knox. “Sending him to Cincinnati would give the Bengals receiver help for the next two seasons while helping to acquire two big defensive pieces. In this hypothetical trade, Seattle could make a move for 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker. While Walker hasn’t quite lived up to his draft status in Jacksonville, he did have 10.0 sacks in 2023—more than any single Seahawks defender.”
Seahawks Would Acquire New No. 1 Sack Artist
As Knox notes, Walker has yet to live up to his No. 1 draft pick status, but he showed his potential during his second season in 2023 with 10 sacks. Linebacker Boye Mafe led the Seahawks with nine sacks last season while Jarred Reed led all defensive lineman with seven sacks.
Because Walker is obviously still on his rookie contract, he’s only due to be paid a $4 million salary during the 2024 season and a $5.8 million salary for the 2025 season.
Why it Makes Sense to Trade Tyler Lockett
Lockett is the longest-tenured player on the team — his first season with the Seahawks was in 2015 — and remains a valuable piece for Seattle as he enters his age-32 season. The former Pro Bowler caught 79 passes for 894 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season, leading the team in receptions with 13 more than D.K. Metcalf.
The veteran receiver actually restructured his contract this offseason so he could return to Seattle. As Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports noted at the time of restructuring, Lockett is due to make about $10 million less this season compared to his original deal.
“Lockett, 31, had two years and $34 million remaining on a four-year, $69 million extension he signed in March of 2021,” wrote DeArdo back in March. “By virtue of his restructure, Lockett’s cap hit over the next two years dropped from $53,790,000 to $30 million. By restructuring his contract, Lockett will go from making $27 million this season to somewhere in the ballpark of $15 million-$17 million.”
With that being said, the Seahawks are ushering in a completely new era. The holdovers from the previous regime — such as Lockett and quarterback Geno Smith — likely don’t have the same standing as they did under ex-head coach Pete Carroll. It also doesn’t help that Macdonald’s background is on defense and it’s no secret the Seahawks have struggled in that department in recent years, ranking 25th in points allowed in each of the past two seasons.
If Seattle wants to save money on the salary cap while acquiring a potential star at edge rusher, this is obviously a deal worth exploring.
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