Details of the Austin Blythe contract

March has been a month of change for the Seattle Seahawks. After moving on from both the offensive and defensive captains in Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner prior to the start of free agency, the team continued its overhaul as free agency opened, including on the offensive line.

While both starting tackles from the 2021 season in Brandon Shell and Duane Brown remain unsigned and on the market, it appears the team may have begun the process of tweaking the line from the inside out. The changes on the interior include bringing Kyler Fuller back, who started at center for the Hawks during the first half of the season, as well as the addition of Austin Blythe, who started for the Los Angeles Rams under new offensive line coach Andy Dickerson. Now the terms of that contract are known.

The specifics of the playtime incentive for Blythe have not yet been disclosed, but it’s likely a snap-based threshold for the $500k in additional potential earnings. Assuming that is the case, given that Blythe played just 12 offensive snaps for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2021 season, the playtime incentives are likely to be categorized as not likely to be earned. If this is indeed the case, the $500k will not count against the cap until such a time as Blythe hits the playtime incentive. Thus, it is likely that only the $2.5M signing and the $1.5M salary will count against the cap during the offseason, giving Blythe a $4M cap hit.