The Seattle Seahawks are releasing veteran receiver Tyler Lockett, the team announced Wednesday, ending his decade-long tenure with the team.
Lockett’s 2025 cap hit of $30.9 million was set to be the fourth-highest among NFL receivers behind Davante Adams, CeeDee Lamb and DK Metcalf, according to Over the Cap. Then Adams was released and Lamb restructured his contract, while Metcalf is now seeking a trade entering the final year of his deal. Releasing Lockett saves Seattle $17 million while incurring $13.9 million in dead money. He will be free to sign with another team at any time.
Seattle cleared about $27 million in cap space on Tuesday by releasing defensive linemen Dre’Mont Jones and Roy Robertson-Harris, offensive tackle George Fant and safety Rayshawn Jenkins. Adding in Lockett’s release, the Seahawks have gone from more than $10 million over the cap to having around $33 million in cap space ahead of free agency, which opens with the legal tampering period Monday at noon.
The team’s longest-tenured player, Lockett signed a reworked two-year, $30 million deal last spring and knew the 2024 season could be his last as a Seahawk. He said toward the end of the regular season he had no intention of retiring. Lockett will turn 33 in September.
“I plan on playing next year,” he said in late December.
Selected with the 69th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Lockett played 10 years with the Seahawks and is the franchise’s second-leading receiver in catches (661), yards (8,594) and touchdowns (61). He trails Hall of Famer Steve Largent in all three categories. This past season, second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba tied Lockett’s single-season record for receptions with 100 (Lockett did it in 2020).
In 2024, Lockett was targeted 74 times and caught 49 passes for 600 yards and two touchdowns. His production hadn’t been that low since 2017, the last time he was the No. 3 receiver. Lockett accepted his role as WR3 behind Smith-Njigba and Metcalf but felt he could have produced more if given more opportunities.
“I’m winning on film,” Lockett said. “You can go watch the film and there’s times where I’m open or I’m winning on a route, but there’s only one ball and it can go to one person.”
Despite being low on accolades outside of his first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a return specialist in 2015, Lockett will go down as one of the best and most beloved Seahawks of this era. He was voted offensive captain in 2022 and was a co-captain along with quarterback Geno Smith in 2023.
Coach Mike Macdonald elected to have weekly game captains in 2024, and Lockett was chosen three times. His teammates also voted him the winner of the team’s Steve Largent Award, given annually to the player who best demonstrates the spirit, dedication and integrity of a Seahawk. He’s a three-time winner of the award.
“Grateful to have spent six years with him and just learned from him,” Metcalf said of Lockett on Jan 1. “Great player, great person, great friend. He’s done everything the right way, and he’s a Hall of Famer in my book, on and off the field.”
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