Did John Schneider Tip Hand About Justin Britt's Future with Seahawks?

As free agency rapidly approaches, the Seahawks have a number of tough decisions to make in coming weeks as they look to improve their roster for the 2020 season.

Along with trying to re-sign unrestricted free agents such as Jadeveon Clowney, Germain Ifedi, and Jarran Reed, general manager John Schneider will certainly be working the phones looking into trade possibilities. Even with an estimated $44 million in cap space, creating additional financial flexibility may be necessary to carry out Seattle's offseason plans.

With that in mind, the future of center Justin Britt has been a heavily debated topic ever since the veteran went down with a torn ACL during the Seahawks 27-20 victory over the Falcons back in October.

Prior to suffering the season-ending injury, Britt had been one of Seattle's most durable players. Aside from sitting out a playoff game during his rookie season, he started in 78 out of 80 regular season games during his first five NFL seasons.

While many players came and went around him, including five different starters at left guard in five seasons, Britt proved to be the one constant on Seattle's offensive line during that span. He quickly emerged as one of the team's leaders, earning the respect of teammates on and off the field.

Now more than four months into his rehab, Schneider has been encouraged by Britt's progress and though there's not a timetable for his return, he looks to be on target to hit the field for training camp in July.

"He's doing great. Yeah, he's doing a really good job," Schneider commented. "You know, my office is right above the weight room, so I heard him in there the other day throwing weights around and listening to Metallica, or whatever he was listening to in there. No, he's doing a great job."

Given his reliability and standing in the locker room, the thought of the Seahawks releasing the 28-year old Britt after an unfortunate injury seems incomprehensible.

Analysis: Predicting the future for five potential Seahawks cap casualties.

However, the NFL is a business first and foremost. Whether fair or not, Britt's current contract could be prohibitive as Seattle actively tries to upgrade the roster, which opens the door for the team to move on from him.

Entering the last year of three-year, $27 million extension signed in 2017, Britt carries a cap hit north of $11 million in 2020. By releasing him, the Seahawks would save $8.5 million in cap space that could be used to land a pass rusher or fill another area of need.

Though the Seahawks have made it sound like Britt is part of the team's plans and an eventual release seems unlikely, an unprompted slight slip of tongue from Schneider at the NFL Scouting Combine suggests they have considered other options at the center position next season.

"That's an unfortunate thing for him, you know. But Joey [Hunt] came in and played real well. And [Ethan] Pocic can play there, as well."

After starting the final 10 games of the season in Britt's place, including two playoff contests, Hunt is a restricted free agent. Seattle will have the option to place a qualifying offer on him and match any other offer he receives from other teams. If they don't place a tender on him, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Pocic, a former second-round pick out of LSU, hasn't been able to stay healthy over the past two seasons. He lost his starting job at left guard to J.R. Sweezy in 2018 and played in only four games last season due to neck and back injuries. The versatile lineman will enter the final year of his rookie contract with much to prove.

Carrying the fourth-highest cap charge on the roster, the Seahawks will likely approach Britt and his agent about a restructured team-friendly contract or an extension, if they haven't already. If the two sides can't reach an agreement, then the organization may face another Richard Sherman-type scenario.

Back in March 2018, Seattle tried to discuss a restructured deal with Sherman, who was coming off a torn Achilles tendon. Unable to strike a deal, the team chose to cut the star cornerback, creating $11 million in much-needed cap relief.

Comparatively speaking, the Seahawks do have a much better cap situation now than they did two years ago at this time, which could eliminate the need to jettison a quality, if unspectacular starting center in Britt.

As he's reiterated multiple times since the 2019 season concluded, coach Pete Carroll wants to keep his offensive line intact as much as possible. A master at making line calls and adjusting protections to counter blitzes and stunts, Britt remains a key part of the unit and losing him would be a far greater blow than most fans realize.

“He looks real good,” Carroll said at the combine. “I’ve seen him a number of times coming through the building, and all. His attitude and... I know I’m hearing of the work ethic he’s putting forth is exactly what we would hope for right now."

This time of year, anything can happen and as Schneider pointed out last week, the offseason landscape can change in an instant. For that reason alone, it's not out of the realm of possibility the high-priced Britt could be on his way out of Seattle.

But given his importance to the team, the question marks depth-wise behind him, and the risk associated with thrusting a rookie into the starting lineup at a critical position, it seems far more likely Britt will be back for a seventh season with the Seahawks on his current contract or a restructured deal.