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Seahawks S Ryan Neal Heads to Free Agency After Tender Rescinded - Report

Needing immediate financial security after a series of signings in free agency, the Seattle Seahawks allowed Ryan Neal to hit the market, risking the possibility of losing him to another team.

Corbin K. Smith

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Facing a salary cap crunch after signing six outside free agents this month, the Seattle Seahawks made a difficult decision to open up much-needed salary cap relief by setting one of their top safeties free.

According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Seahawks have rescinded safety Ryan Neal's restricted free agent tender, immediately making him an unrestricted free agent free to sign with any team. Pulling the tender will save the team $2.67 million in cap space.

Emerging as a fan favorite over the past three seasons, Neal provided Seattle with invaluable snaps replacing oft-injured starter Jamal Adams after initially joining the team as a practice squad signee. Enjoying a career year in 2022, he received the highest grade among qualified safeties from Pro Football Focus while stuffing the stat sheet with 66 tackles, seven pass breakups, an interception, a sack, and two forced fumbles.

In recognition for his efforts, Neal received 14 points in All-Pro voting, as the former Southern Illinois standout finished sixth among safeties in balloting.

Earlier this month, the Seahawks placed an original round tender on Neal, preventing other teams from signing him outright. Under the terms of the tender, they would have been given the opportunity to match any offer sheet, but if they chose not to, they would not have received draft compensation in return.

While some may wonder why Seattle decided to let Neal test the market now, the team needed to make a few moves to create cap space. According to OverTheCap.com, after bringing back linebacker Bobby Wagner on a one-year, $7 million contract, the organization ranks dead last in the NFL with -$5.4 million in effective cap space, meaning they don't have enough to pay their upcoming draft class and the top 51 players on the roster.

Given that dire current cap situation, on the heels of signing safety Julian Love to a two-year, $12 million contract to pair with Adams and Quandre Diggs, Neal became expendable to help address the issue. In the process, he's granted a chance to test his value on the market, though inconvenient timing this late into free agency likely will limit how much money teams will be able to offer him.

Of course, as has happened several times in the past with players who were released in cap-oriented moves, it's possible that Neal could return to the Seahawks on a cheaper deal. But with him being just 27 years old and coming off a strong season, odds are that he will have several suitors interested in his services who can offer more money on a short-term deal.

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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.

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