The Seattle Seahawks pressed the reset button after trading Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.
Yes, he brought a Super Bowl to the squad and made them legitimate contenders.
But the team decided that parting ways with him is the best strategy.
So much for head coach Pete Caroll constantly declaring that they are not trading away the 33-year-old play-caller.
Yet as the franchise moves away from him and another franchise icon in linebacker Bobby Wagner, Wilson will have a lingering effect on the Seahawks’ salary cap, as ESPN NFL Nation reporter Brady Henderson shared.
Cap ramifications: Russell Wilson was to count $37M in 2022. Seahawks save $11M in ’22 and take on on $26M in dead money. Per @ESPNStatsInfo, that’s the second-most dead money a team has ever incurred. Philly ate $33.8M in the Carson Wentz trade.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) March 8, 2022
Henderson shared, “Cap ramifications: Russell Wilson was to count $37M in 2022. Seahawks save $11M in ’22 and take on $26M in dead money. Per @ESPNStatsInfo, that’s the second-most dead money a team has ever incurred. Philly at $33.8M in the Carson Wentz trade.”
That amount could cripple their salary cap flexibility in terms of beefing up their roster.
However, it would be better for the Seahawks to absorb the dead money because it’s hard to see them being competitive in 2022 without Wilson.
They are playing in one of the toughest NFL divisions with the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks might lose more games next season and rebuild using the picks they’ve acquired from the Denver Broncos.
Wilson On A Cap-Friendly Deal
While Seattle takes on $26 million in dead money, it’s possible that the Broncos will pay Wilson’s salary for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, as structured by the Seahawks.
Therefore, the one-time Super Bowl winner will count for $24 million in the upcoming season and $27 million in 2023.
However, there’s also a possibility that the Broncos will sign him to an extension once the trade becomes official on the first day of the 2022 league year on March 16.
