Pro Football Rumors
Today, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Seahawks released veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who had spent the season on the team’s reserve/non-football injury list due to a back injury he had sustained in the offseason. Because the season has already progressed past the trade deadline, even vested veterans have to clear waivers before hitting free agency, so Hankins will be available to be claimed tomorrow.
It isn’t likely that Hankins will be claimed by a new team, though. Two weeks ago, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald informed the media that Hankins was not going to be activated from the NFI list during the 2025 season. There’s always a chance Hankins disagreed with that opinion and asked to be released so that he could have a chance to play this season with another club, but we’ll find that out if he clears waivers.
At 33 years old, Hankins may not slot in as a starter anywhere he goes the way he did in his prime. Routinely a strong interior defender over his first two contracts, Hankins’ level of play has leveled out as he continues to count the seasons. Still, after his time as a starter for the Raiders came to a close after four and a half years, punctuated by a trade to Dallas, Hankins was able to reestablish himself as a starter for the Cowboys in his first full year with the team.
With the Seahawks, his defense left a bit to be desired, but the team depended on him in the interior. No other lineman saw more snaps over center, and he was utilized frequently enough to log eight starts while playing in every game of the season for the first time since 2020. It earned him another one-year deal with the team, and even though he would’ve been a free agent at the end of the year anyway, Seattle has given him a headstart on free agency by putting him on waivers today.
