Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Analysis shows Seattle Seahawks are one of NFL's smartest spending teams

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 10:00 AM ET

In the NFL, or most professional sports league really, balancing the salary cap is always a tricky game to play.

It's all about building the best roster possible within the constraints of the salary cap, but how teams choose to go about it can vary wildly. Some will choose to spend to the cap in an effort to attract/keep as many star players as possible, while others will take a more frugal approach by relying on the draft to acquire more cost-effective talent. In truth, though, a more balanced approach is needed to truly succeed at the highest level of the sport.

The Seattle Seahawks generally lean more on the frugal side, but despite the relative lack of high-end results over the past, they've actually been one of the NFL's better teams at managing their money.

Seahawks getting good bang for their buck

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Athletic's Mike Sando put together an analysis of how NFL teams have spent their money since 2020 using three key metrics: cash over cap, weighted wins (which gives more value to postseason wins than those in the regular season) and "bang-for-buck" differential (cash over cap ranking minus weighted wins ranking).

Sando found that the Seahawks spent over the cap by just 3.7 percent (26th in the NFL), but had 47 weighted wins (14th). This gives them a "bang-for-buck" differential of +12, the fourth-best in the league.

"Seattle almost never spends for A-list free agents as a matter of philosophy and has re-signed relatively few of its own recent draft choices to expensive deals," Sando wrote. "That combination helps explain why the Seahawks have dropped from sixth in cash-over-cap spending from 2015-19 to 27th since then.

"Trading Russell Wilson before the 2022 season also contributed to the recent spending dip, which includes a No. 30 rank in cash spending this season."

Indeed, John Schneider has been pretty conservative in free agency over the years. Maybe he could afford to be more aggressive to get the team over the top, but for the most part, the approach seems to be working.

In a way, the Seahawks are even a good showcase of restraint.

"The Seahawks are a good example of ownership wealth not necessarily correlating with spending cash over the cap," Sando wrote. "The team’s late owner, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and his heir, sister Jody Allen, certainly could afford to spend more than the Seahawks have spent recently."

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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