Tyler Lockett has been a staple of the Seattle Seahawks offense ever since he was drafted by the team in 2015.
With the veteran always being an outlet on offense and popping up when needed in crucial moments, he has endeared himself to the Seattle faithful, but is his time as a Seahawk coming to an end?
The 32-year-old is coming off a down year by his high standards and with his cap hit in 2024, NFL.com thinks that the veteran could be on the way out ahead of the first season under coach Mike Macdonald.
“The question in Seattle is whether it will have a big-name trio or duo in 2024,” NFL.com writes. “The 31-year-old Lockett sits with a $26.895 million salary-cap figure coming off his first sub-1,000-yard season since 2018. Lockett still holds value, but those numbers are exorbitant, particularly with Smith-Njigba able to pick up some of the slack. JSN had a roller-coaster rookie season that peaked in the middle, but the youngster profiles as the type of wideout who could thrive in Year 2 with more opportunities.
Lockett didn't hit the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in four seasons, but he was still serviceable for Shane Waldron's offense. The Seahawks have since hired Ryan Grubb as the new offensive coordinator.
Among Seattle's skill position players, Lockett finished second in yards (894), first in receptions (79) and targets (122), and second in touchdowns (5). So while he didn't have as good as in 2022, Lockett was still an integral cog in the Seahawks offense.
Would Seattle be wise to move on from that kind of production with a first-year offensive coordinator?
Lockett's cap hit will give the Seahawks' brain trust food for thought. Per Over the Cap, if Lockett is a post-June 1 cut, he will save them just $7,105,000 and will have a dead cap hit of $19,790,000.
Is there enough evidence to suggest that, in the event Lockett is out, the likes of Jake Bobo and D'Wayne Eskridge can pick up the slack? Or would the Seahawks draft his replacement?
Lockett has established himself as a Seahawks legend, but that cap number could prove pivotal in the team deciding which way to go with the veteran's future.
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