Seahawks Restructure Contracts for Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones
The Seattle Seahawks recently adjusted the contracts of their defensive linemen Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones. Interestingly, while most restructures aim to reduce a player’s salary cap hit, Reed’s cap number actually increased slightly from $6.34 million to $6.47 million.
Details on Reed’s Contract Adjustment
Reed, 31, had one year and $4.47 million remaining on his contract, along with $900,000 in incentives. According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Seattle modified the contract by converting $530,000 of those incentives into the base salary and adding $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses. The remaining $370,000 in incentives are now solely based on sack performance, with Reed earning $185,000 for eight sacks and $370,000 for ten sacks.
This adjustment aimed to reward Reed, who played significant snaps last season and is expected to be crucial under new head coach Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks hope Reed will enhance their interior pass rush, much like Justin Madubuike did for the Ravens.
Changes to Jones’ Contract
The restructure of Dre’Mont Jones’ contract, however, did create significant cap space. After signing their rookie class, the Seahawks had only $1.1 million in cap space. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reports that Seattle converted nearly $10 million of Jones’ 2024 base salary into a signing bonus and added two void years to the deal. This maneuver decreased Jones’ 2024 cap number by $7.4 million, providing the team with more financial flexibility.
Jones had signed a three-year, $51 million deal last March, marking the Seahawks’ largest contract for an external free agent. Although he didn’t perform poorly, he underachieved relative to expectations, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 55th-best interior defender. Jones started seeing more edge play last season following Uchenna Nwosu’s season-ending injury.
Macdonald’s Strategy and Future Prospects
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports that during minicamp, Macdonald had Jones playing multiple positions, including outside linebacker and edge rusher, as well as defensive tackle. Macdonald’s approach, which emphasizes versatile pass rushes, aims to replicate the success he had with veterans like Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy on the Ravens.
Macdonald commented on Jones’ versatility, stating, “He can do a lot of things,” and emphasized the importance of rotating defenders to maximize matchups. With first-round pick Byron Murphy II also in the mix, the Seahawks are not expected to reduce their defensive line depth. Now comfortably under the salary cap, there’s no financial pressure to make further cuts.
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