Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett could be a salary cap casualty this offseason. He's 31 years old and will carry a $27.8 million cap hit while coming off a sub-1,000-yard season in 2023. Lockett has been in his nine years in Seattle, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said it might be a tough dynamic to overcome in 2024. Lockett had 79 receptions on 122 targets for 894 yards and five touchdowns in 17 starts in 2023, but his yardage total was his lowest since his third year in the league in 2017. His contract also has an out clause in it for the 2024 season, so if it looks like he may not be back, he could exercise it and test the free-agent market. If Lockett were to leave, it would be great news for second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as he would become the No. 2 behind DK Metcalf.

The Chicago Bears announced on Thursday that they released safety Eddie Jackson and center Cody Whitehair. Jackson, a two-time Pro Bowler with the Bears in 2018 and 2019, had a career-low 37 tackles (32 solo), one interception and five passes defensed in 12 starts in his seventh season in the Windy City in 2023. The 30-year-old defensive back will now look for work outside of Chicago in 2024 for the first time in his career after being drafted in the fourth round in 2017 out of Alabama. In his seven-year career, he's recorded 459 tackles (355 solo), two sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 15 interceptions (three returned for touchdowns), 44 passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries (three returned for TDs). Whitehair's release will create $9 million in salary cap space in 2024.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who has $12.7 million in his contract that becomes fully guaranteed on Friday, was informed on Thursday that he will remain on the roster through this week, allowing that money to trigger, according to sources. The Seahawks believed that in today's market, with salaries soaring for starting QBs, the correct decision was to pay the money for Smith, who will now represent a value to Seattle or any other team that decides to acquire him via trade this offseason. The 33-year-old veteran has two years and $75 million left on his three-year deal that he signed last offseason. After leading the league with a 69.8 completion percentage in 2022 while throwing for a career-high 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns, Smith regressed a bit in 2023. Expecting him to return to his 2022 form would be foolish.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, 33, has two years left on the three-year, $75 million contract extension he signed last March after being named to the Pro Bowl and winning the league's Comeback Player of the Year award, but Seattle could move on from him this offseason with non-prohibitive salary cap penalties. They would incur $17.4 million in dead money, either by cutting Smith before his $12.7 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed on Feb. 16, or by trading him before March 17. Conventional wisdom suggests the Seahawks will likely keep Smith for at least another year and see if a new coaching staff can get more out of him after a down season in 2023. The 33-year-old veteran had the best QBR over the final six weeks, but he also missed time with injuries and his production dipped across the board from 2022. Losing Pete Carroll as his head coach could hurt Smith the most, but he'll still serve as a high-end QB2 for fantasy managers if he stays in Seattle.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught three of his five targets for 14 yards in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. The receptions were tied with tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson for the team lead but made for a quiet end to a modest debut season for the Ohio State product. Selected 20th overall in the 2023 draft, there were hopes that Smith-Njigba would replicate the first-year successes of his former college teammates Garrett Wilson and Christian Olave. As it was, Smith-Njigba proved to be firmly entrenched as the third receiver on Seattle's depth chart and was probably lucky to see the amount of work that he did. His production was also hindered by the routes designed for him, as his average depth of target of 5.8 yards was among the lowest in the league. His rookie year will conclude with 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games.