Seattle, WA
How much has changed in a year for the Seahawks?
With the end of the regular season and the arrival of the offseason for the Seattle Seahawks, all eyes have turned to the future to discuss what to expect when the 2025 season arrives, and how the Hawks will navigate the offseason.
One of the first pieces of business for the Seahawks, as noted on Field Gulls Wednesday, is to address the salary cap and come into compliance for the new league year in mid March. With that in mind, the discussion invariably turned to which players the teams could opt to move on from in the coming weeks, and a variation of a common theme was immediately posted into the comments.
Without reworking any deals (or trades), simply cutting Lockett, DreMont Jones, Noah Fant, Jenkins, and Roy Rob-Harris would clear up nearly $50M in cap space.
There has been no shortage of such proposals regarding how to address the salary cap issues the Hawks face in 2025, and these names are obviously the easiest path to cap compliance, which is why they are so often noted in the comments or on social media. Add in proposals to trade or restructure DK Metcalf or Geno Smith, and the discussion is one that has already been had multiple times.
However, before jumping in to discuss 2025, this is a step back to look at the 2024 offseason and then look at the proposed changes through a different lens and one specific question. So, turning the page back to the 2024 offseason, here is a list of the players whose contracts John Schneider in order to make the cap work in 2024:
- Geno Smith: $9.6M roster bonus converted to signing bonus, pushing $4.8M into 2025
- DK Metcalf: $11.875M of base salary converted to signing bonus, pushing $9.5M into 2025-2028
- Tyler Lockett: $8M signing bonus, pushing $4M into 2025
- Dre’Mont Jones: $9.875M converted to signing bonus, pushing $7.4M into 2025-2027
- Noah Fant: $9M signing bonus, pushing $4.5M into 2025
- Rayshawn Jenkins: $5M signing bonus, pushing $2.5M into 2025
In addition, during the season the Hawks then traded for:
- Roy Robertson-Harris: 2026 6th round pick
- Ernest Jones: 2025 4th round pick
The loss of a pair of Day 3 picks is not entirely irrelevant because Day 3 picks have the opportunity to turn into something, but the reality is most Day 3 picks never amount to anything in the NFL so trading a pair of them for 855 snaps over half a season is not a horrible use of draft capital. Simply for comparison purposes, Rashaad Penny played just 792 snaps for the Seahawks during his five seasons in Seattle after being selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Or, more recently 2022 second round pick Dee Eskridge logged 444 offensive and special teams snaps for the Seahawks during his three seasons with the team.
Getting back to the discussion at hand, though, the reality is that the majority of players on the list of those that many fans are ready to release in order to come into cap compliance are the exact same players the team either signed or restructured last year.
That, of course, raises the question about what has changed over the course of the year?
If a player was seen as part of the solution in 2024 to the point that John Schneider was willing to borrow against the future in order to keep that particular puzzle piece on the roster, then have things truly changed so much in the last few months that that player is now a part of the problem? Is a player who was just acquired for draft capital in October already no longer a part of future plans?
Things have certainly changed over the course of the past year, but if almost all of the players signed or restructured by the front office in the spring of 2024 are no longer viewed as part of the solution for 2025, where is the disconnect? Was the 2024 offseason even that much worse upon review? Or is this simply a new era in salary cap management for the Seahawks with former New Orleans Saints cap specialist Joey Laine on staff where cap space is fungible and Seattle is now the Big Easy Northwest?
There are certainly more questions that can be asked, but the reality is that until the team shows the direction it will take in the second season under head coach Mike Macdonald it will all be guesswork because the foundation of expectations that exists was set by the previous regime, and it’s a new era.
Seattle, WA
COUNTDOWN: Two days until West Seattle Fourth of July Kids’ Parade! Here’s the newest info
Just two days until hundreds of West Seattle’s youngest residents will parade through the streets of North Admiral with their families, as the Admiral Neighborhood Association again presents the West Seattle Fourth of July Kids’ Parade. We’ve checked in with parade coordinators for the newest info:
>Gina Topp (SPS School Board President, Admiral resident, and owner of Mission Cantina) will kick off the parade.
–Kavya Bhatkar (age 10), a School of Rock student, will sing the anthem.
-Title sponsors for the parade are: Neighborhood Naturopathic and Primary Care and Holy Rosary.
-Food available for purchase including:
Seattle Pops
West Seattle Grounds
Where Ya at Matt
Empanadas El Pachi
La La Lemonade
Seattle Sorbet
Hawk Dogs
Sugar & Spoon
The parade starts at 10 am Saturday from 45th SW and SW Sunset, heads west on Sunset for a bit, turns south and then east, ending at Hamilton Viewpoint Park for a post-parade celebration with sack races, activity booths, the aforementioned food/treat vendors, and if they’re not called away to an emergency, an SFD truck to see. No RSVP or registration required to be in the parade – just show up (non-motorized bikes, trikes, scooters, strollers, etc., welcome, or just walk).
(2024 reader photo of fireworks damage on Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex turf)
Here’s the annual announcement from Seattle Parks – we’ve excised the non-local parks:
Seattle Parks and Recreation will turn on field lighting on ballfields throughout the city on the evening of Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 to protect the surfaces. The ballfield lights will be turned on at approximately 9 PM.
The lights will be turned on to discourage the use of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle and will destroy the artificial turf on the fields or surrounding facilities. The approximate replacement cost for the synthetic surface based on per average full-size field (110,000 square feet) is $1.2 million. All the fields have been renovated in the past several years and benefit field users including soccer, football, baseball, ultimate frisbee and lacrosse.
The fields will be monitored from 9 PM to 3 AM
Lights at the following synthetic fields will be turned off at 3 AM on July 3 and 4:
Delridge Playfield, 4458 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Playfield, 2700 California Ave. SW
South Park Playfield, 8319 8th Ave S
Walt Hundley Playfield, 6920 34th Avenue SWLights will be turned off at the following grass fields at 11 PM on July 3 and 4:
West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35th Ave. SW
Comparing this to last year’s announcement, the lights will be on longer the night before the 4th, and the “monitoring” will be an hour later.
SEATTLE — Sharp divisions emerged Wednesday as Seattle residents, housing advocates and environmental activists sparred over a proposal that would dramatically reshape the city’s land-use appeals process.
At issue is legislation proposed by Seattle City Councilmember Eddie Lin. The bill would eliminate State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) appeals to the city’s Hearing Examiner for major legislative actions, including Comprehensive Plan amendments and development regulations.
It prompted impassioned testimony at a public hearing before the Seattle City Council’s Land Use Committee, which Lin chairs.
Lin said his bill would prevent costly delays that have slowed housing production and climate-focused planning. Opponents countered that it would strip residents of one of their few affordable avenues for holding city government accountable on environmental issues before projects move forward.
Lin said that concentrating new housing in dense, walkable neighborhoods near transit reduces suburban sprawl, preserves forests and farmland, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and limits pollution harmful to salmon and orcas.
Lin said Seattle can achieve both affordable housing and a healthy urban tree canopy through thoughtful planning. However, having projects repeatedly delayed by appeals that ultimately have little legal standing is something the city cannot afford, Lin said.
Over the past several years, Washington lawmakers have expanded exemptions within SEPA specifically to reduce red tape for housing production. But Seattle’s municipal code still allows administrative appeals on many actions that state law has already exempted.
Although those appeals are frequently dismissed because of state law, city officials said the process itself can significantly delay legislation.
Under Lin’s proposal, residents could no longer file administrative SEPA appeals before the Hearing Examiner for major legislative actions. Instead, challenges would have to be brought before the Washington Growth Management Hearings Board or King County Superior Court.
During the public hearing, opponents said such a change would effectively place environmental appeals beyond the reach of many residents because pursuing litigation requires attorneys and substantially higher costs.
Several speakers warned that raising the financial barrier to appeals would disproportionately silence neighborhoods and community groups with limited resources.
Environmental advocates also argued the legislation removes an important layer of independent oversight before major decisions become law. They said appeals have historically uncovered flaws in Environmental Impact Statements, revealed previously undisclosed information and prompted improvements before projects advance.
The debate is expected to intensify as Seattle prepares for the next phase of updating its Comprehensive Plan under Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration. The forthcoming environmental review of the plan, which includes proposals for taller and denser development across the city, is likely to make the question of who can challenge environmental reviews a central issue in the coming year.
No vote was taken following Wednesday’s public hearing. The legislation will return to the City Council for further consideration.
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