Seahawks ‘Might Look to Cut’ Ex-Pro Bowler, Says Analyst

The Seattle Seahawks could look to cut a former Pro Bowler to save money on the salary cap.

In a May 31 story on SB Nation’s Field Gulls, DevinCsigi looked at several Seahawks players who could potentially be cut after June 1, the date that splits the dead cap between 2022 and 2023. One of the players mentioned is former Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers.

In 2021, Myers, 31, endured the second-worst season of his seven-season career, converting on just 73.9% of his field goal attempts while reaching touchbacks on just 37.3% of his kickoffs. Myers holds a cap hit of $5 million this season, and the Seahawks could save $4 million by releasing the veteran kicker after June 1.

Why Seahawks Could Cut Myers

The move would represent a risk given the fact that the Seahawks have no other kickers on their roster at the moment.

“Cutting Myers would be a bit of a risky bet this late into the offseason seeing as most of the UDFA and traditional free agent kickers have been signed,” DevinCsigi wrote. “However, with that aside there is a very strong case to cut Myers, who is coming off his third season in the last six years in which he hit less than 80% of his attempted field goals.”

Myers is the fifth highest-paid kicker in the league. As the statistics illustrate, he appears to be on a downward trajectory. As recently as 2020, he made every field goal he attempted. However, Myers — who has been with the Seahawks since 2019 — ranked as one of the worst kickers in the league last season.

“According to pro-football-reference.com, among qualified kickers Myers ranked 31st of 34 in field goal% and 17th out of 24 in extra point% in the 2021 season,” DevinCsigi wrote. “These numbers make it extremely difficult to justify Myers carrying the fifth largest cap hit among kickers.”

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Why Seahawks Might Avoid Cutting Myers

With the pickings slim for free agent kickers, the Seahawks could eat Myers’ salary for one more season considering his contract is up after this season. Given that Seattle isn’t exactly aiming to contend in the upcoming season, carrying a declining kicker on the roster doesn’t become the glaring deficiency it would be for a team that’s expected to be a contender.

As far as kickers the Seahawks could potentially look at, former Indianapolis Colts kicker Michael Badgley would be a potential replacement. Badgley converted on 18 of 21 field goal attempts (85.7%) in 2021 and 15-of-16 field goal attempts (93.8%) in 2018, ranking fifth in the league in field goal percentage.

“With Myers being the only kicker on the active roster, Seattle would have to bring in at least one kicker with it being likely they bring in 2 to 3 kickers to compete for the job,” DevinCsigi wrote. “The likeliest candidate to come in is former Colts kicker Michael Badgley, who is coming off of a season where he went … 40 for 41 in extra point attempts.”

The Seahawks might have options outside of Myers, but it doesn’t appear they have any sense of urgency to look for his replacement.