Seahawks free up more cap space with Dee Eskridge decision

The Seahawks won’t move on from the 2021 second-round pick just yet.

The Seattle Seahawks have made a decision on wide receiver Dee Eskridge, but not the one that you might think.

With a year left on his rookie deal, the Seahawks have adjusted Eskridge’s contract to essentially play him on the veteran’s minimum. This will save Seattle a few hundred thousand more just by reducing his base salary from $1,471,842 to $1,055,000.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Eskridge is a lock to make the 2024 regular season roster. Releasing him would still cost the Seahawks about $422,000 in dead money (his signing bonus), but the cap savings would be $1,025,000.

Eskridge has been injured for much of his Seahawks career, and even when he’s been healthy he’s made very little positive impact. He only has 17 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown through three seasons, and no catches in 2023. Eskridge did have a 65-yard kick return against the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night, as well as a 10-yard run on a jet sweep handoff.

The NFL suspended Eskridge six games at the start of 2023 after his domestic violence arrest. He was given a suspended sentence and agreed to enroll in domestic violence moral recognition therapy for 12 months, after which point his fourth-degree misdemeanor assault charge would be dismissed.