Field Gulls
This move will open up over $14 million in salary cap room for 2025.
The Seattle Seahawks have to make a few moves to be salary cap compliant before the new league year begins, and their efforts to get under the cap are underway.
OverTheCap has the details on Seattle’s decision to restructure Leonard Williams’ deal:
The Seattle Seahawks have restructured the contract of defensive lineman Leonard Williams, opening up just over $14 million in cap room. As part of the restructured contact the Seahawks converted $18.745 million of Williams’ salary to a bonus and added two void years to the contract. The move dropped Williams’ salary cap number from $29.1 million to $14.06 million.
The restructure increases Williams’ 2026 salary cap figure to $29.6 million and would leave the Seahawks with $9.372 million in dead money in 2027 if they allow Williams’ contract to void prior to an extension that year. Williams is coming off a career year at the age of 30, justifying the Seahawks decision to sign Williams to a $64.5 million contract last offseason following a surprising mid season trade to acquire Williams in 2023.
Williams would’ve had the fourth-highest cap number on the Seahawks, behind Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett. His new cap number lowers his standing to sixth, additionally below Noah Fant and Uchenna Nwosu.
‘Big Cat’ is coming off a team-leading 11-sack season, showcasing why the Seahawks gave him a three-year contract worth $64.5 million last offseason after acquiring him via trade with the New York Giants. He’s easily one of the most important players on the Seahawks roster and he’s definitely going to be an integral piece of Mike Macdonald’s defense heading into the 2025 season.
Seattle is still projected to be $14 million over the salary cap, so work is far from over, but reducing the arrears by about 50 percent without moving on from anyone is a good start.
