Several months after the Seattle Seahawks sent Russell Wilson to Denver, their former QB is got a huge payday.
However, some Seahawks fans are wondering why they didn’t keep him and pay him that money.
While the answer isn’t simple, this offseason might show why Seattle opted to not pay him.
Let’s examine the offseason of the Seahawks to gauge their mindset with Wilson and his contract.
Seahawks Cleaned House In 2022
Wilson wasn’t the only player Seattle parted ways with in 2022.
The team also released linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Veteran offensive tackle Duane Brown is another player missing from their roster in 2022.
We lost Wilson, Reed, Wagner, Brown, Dunlap and Shell and basically either didn’t replace them or replaced them with rookies. So I get the ranking. I would still put teams like Jags and Falcons below us, but get it.
— Myk Lesinski (@BowserMode) August 5, 2022
While these three players are in their 30s, they still have gas left in the tank.
However, someone with the Seahawks didn’t see things in this light.
They want new talent that’s young, as opposed to veterans like Wagner and Wilson.
But the team’s also had issues with extending a contract offer to one of their best young receivers.
That story might show a team who’s willing to hold on to their money.
Long Extension Process With DK Metcalf Might Show Seahawks Being Tight With Money
If the Seahawks want any future playoff run without Wilson, they need a solid receiving corps for their starting QB.
This is something Wilson had during his years with the team.
While they never had elite receivers, they were solid and got the job done.
However, the Seahawks went through a long offseason of contract talks with DK Metcalf.
While the two came to terms on a new deal, it took awhile for it to happen.
The deal was big for Metcalf, who’s now with the team until he’s 27 years old.
@Seahawks DK Metcalf signs 3 year extension with Seahawks 💪 pic.twitter.com/zck5kkFR4t
— James (@sendJamesatweet) July 28, 2022
But his youth is part of the reason Seattle’s keeping him over Wilson, who’s in his 30s.
However, with the team needing young talent, it could be odd for them to hold out so long before extending Metcalf’s contract.
But the answer to this issue of not paying Wilson might lie in the Seahawks cap space for 2022.
Start 2022 With Enormous Amount Of Dead Cap
According to Spotrac, the Seahawks enter the 2022 regular season with nearly $50 million in dead cap.
This only gives the team slightly above $6.3 million in free cap space.
However, over half of the dead cap the Seahawks currently have is from Wilson.
His $26 million cap hit accounts for nearly 12% of the Seahawks current salary cap.
Had the Seahawks extended him, they might have more cap space now.
But the question becomes if he was worth an extension and if the team had the money for a proper extension offer.
Even if the Seahawks kept him, as opposed to trading him, the cap difference before a new deal doesn’t make much of a difference.
However, the team might have considered his age as a factor in not paying him to stay.
While players like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers show they are still great at their age, it seems Seattle didn’t feel the same with Wilson.
Between the cap space and his age, these things are the likely reason the Seahawks didn’t pay him.
NEXT: DK Metcalf Had A Legitimate Beef With Pete Carroll