Stone Forsythe was among five unrestricted free agents to leave the Seahawks.
We’re nothing if not thorough and we report on just about any news related to current and former Seattle Seahawks. With all of the contract details cleared up regarding Seattle’s free agent acquisitions, let’s catch up on some of the free agent departures. We’ve already covered Tre Brown, who left for the San Francisco 49ers, so we’ll focus on the other four UFAs who’ve also found new teams.
Pharaoh Brown (Miami Dolphins)
The veteran blocking tight end previously signed with the Seahawks on a one-year, $3.2 million contract to effectively be the TE3 behind Noah Fant and AJ Barner. I’m not sure the plan was for Brown to be TE3 but it basically worked out that way.
- Cap number: $1,120,588
- Base salary: $1,255,000
- Signing bonus: $20,000
- Per-game roster bonus: $80,000
Artie Burns (Miami Dolphins)
Kept re-signing one-year deals with the Seahawks from 2022 through 2024, with his final Seahawks contract coming in at $1.21 million after his final practice squad elevation.
- Cap number: $1,130,000
- Base salary: $1,255,000
- Signing bonus: $100,000
Stone Forsythe (New York Giants)
Completed his rookie contract after bein drafted in 2021. The final year of his deal was worth $1,096,656 ($1,055,000 salary + $41,656 pro-rated signing bonus).
- Cap number: $1,197,500
- Base salary: $1,255,000
- Signing bonus: $140,000
- Workout bonus: $27,500
If you’ve figured out the theme, Messrs Brown, Forsythe, and Burns all signed for minimum salaries and got signing bonuses. They’re all playing under contracts that qualify for the Veteran Salary Benefit, which we explained in a recent article, hence their respective cap hits are all lower than their base salaries.
Our final UFA contract we haven’t covered is former starting left guard Laken Tomlinson, who’s 99.9% likely to be the only Seahawks UFA to sign for a deal that would qualify him for Compensatory Free Agent (CFA) status. His Seahawks contract was $1,210,000 base salary ($500,000 guaranteed) and about $2.8 million in incentives, of which he cashed in on $2.04 million via playing time markers.
Laken Tomlinson (Houston Texans)
- Cap number: $4,250,000
- Base salary: $2,500,000
- Guaranteed salary: $1,500,000
- Signing bonus: $1,000,000
- Per-game roster bonus: $750,000
As a reminder, “per-game roster bonus” values are the total bonus if a player is on the team’s active roster for all 17 regular season games.
Tomlinson’s contract also includes a $750,000 incentive bonus for the Pro Bowl and a playoff appearance, creating a maximum value of $5 million.
The Texans have completely redone their offensive line by trading away left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders, likewise former first-round guard Kenyon Green to the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as releasing other starting guard Shaq Mason. Tomlinson, Cam Robinson, Ed Ingram, and Trent Brown are their major acquisitions following a dreadful year of pass protection and inconsistent run blocking in 2024.
That should get you caught up on all of the Seahawks free agent departures! Apart from maybe Burns based on special teams and cornerback depth, it’s hard to make a case that the Seahawks should’ve kept anyone mentioned here.