$51 million lineman named Seattle Seahawks' most likely cap casualty

There are some tough choices that the Seattle Seahawks have to make over the next couple of months before the new league year starts. What's the right thing to do with Geno Smith could go any number of ways, depending on how general manager John Schneider feels about it. Seattle also faces some tough calls with star players like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, who are on the wane and have costly contracts.

One decision that should be relatively easy is what to do with defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones, who signed a three-year, $51.3 million contract two years ago. Jones has had his moments here and there, but overall the results have been disappointing - one reason why Jones agreed to restructured deal last offseason.

This year Seattle tried moving Jones out to the edge full-time but still didn't get the kind of production that you'd hope for with somebody making that much. That's why Dre'Mont Jones has been named the team's number one most likely cap casualty by Bleacher Report.

B/R on Seahawks, Dre'Mont Jones

"The Seahawks are paying Dre'Mont Jones like an elite interior lineman. The production wasn't even close to that standard in 2024. The 28-year-old only played 55 percent of the snaps this season. His run defense grade was 192nd among interior defenders, per PFF, and he only had four sacks. It's hard to justify bringing Jones back at that price tag with those numbers."

Since the Seahawks signed Jones he has appeared in 34 games, posting 8.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for a loss. While not terrible numbers, it's also not enough to justify his salary.

Cutting Jones before June 1 would not work out too well - the dead money penalty would be over $14 million, while the Seahawks would only save about $11.6 million in cap space. However, if Jones is designated a post-June 1 cut then the math changes. According to Over the Cap, doing so would only cost Seattle $9.13 million in dead money while saving $16.5 million in cap room.

There are football reasons to cut Jones, as well. Boye Mafe and Derick Hall should be on path to be the team's starting outside linebacker combination sooner rather than later. That might come as soon as the 2025 season, depending on what the team does with Uchenna Nwosu - who's also a potential salary cap casualty due to injury issues.

More Seahawks stories

Seahawks projected to reach for second-round prospect at 18 overall

Pete Carroll predicted to take head coach job for long-suffering NFC team

Seahawks expand offensive coordinator search, two front-runners emerge