Seattle Seahawks giving WR Tyler Lockett a $69.2M extension, source says
SEATTLE – The Seahawks are giving recipient Tyler Lockett a four-year $ 69.2 million contract extension that guarantees $ 37 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Lockett entered the final season of a three-year extension for $ 31.8 million, which he signed in 2018. Since then, he has had his three best seasons with 28 touchdowns (fifth among NFL receivers) and 3,076 yards (13th).
The average of $ 17.3 million in new money in Lockett’s expansion ranks 10th among NFL recipients, according to Spotrac.com.
| player | TDs |
|---|---|
| Davante Adams | 36 |
| Tyreek Hill | 34 |
| Mike Evans | 29 |
| Adam Thielen | 29 |
| Tyler Lockett | 28 |
| – ESPN statistics and information | |
Lockett, 28, was a 2015 Seattle third round election. He made the Pro Bowl and was all-pro of the first team in his rookie season as a returnee. Coming back from a compound broken leg later in the 2016 season, he has since replaced retired Doug Baldwin as the # 1 recipient in Seattle. Last season, Lockett and DK Metcalf were only the second pair of Seahawks receivers in team history, hitting over 1,000 yards each that same year.
With Metcalf eligible a year ahead of the expected massive payday, there was no guarantee Seattle would reinvest in Lockett with a third deal.
Lockett was set to score the third biggest cap hit of any Seahawks player in 2021 at $ 14.95 million. Its extension brings that number down to around $ 7 million, a source told ESPN. That gives Seattle the clearance it needs against the cap and is part of the timing of Lockett’s extension, which comes much earlier in the off-season than when the Seahawks typically make new deals for players under contract.
Quarterback Russell Wilson and Baldwin celebrated Lockett’s addition on Twitter:
The homie !!! @ TDLockett12 let’s go !!!
You deserve everything! I love you brother! ????
– Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 31, 2021
Yo @ TDLockett12 you got the lunch bill the next 16 times!
– Doug Baldwin Jr. (@DougBaldwinJr) March 31, 2021
Lockett has shown a knack for making improbable catches. Among the players with at least 200 targets, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, he has the second highest catch percentage since 2018 with a plus of 12% above expectations. This ability was shown during extra time against the Arizona Cardinals last season when Lockett delivered the most productive game of his career with 15 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
“It’s one thing to get a catch like this at some point in your life, but every time you get a chance it’s pretty insane – and especially under the pressure and stress of the game and the situation, all of that.” Coach Pete Carroll said after that game. “He’s a phenomenal, phenomenal soccer player.”