Seahawks rookie Byron Murphy II signs contract on first day of minicamp

RENTON — A few minutes after concluding his first practice with the Seahawks during the team’s rookie minicamp Friday, first-round pick Byron Murphy II said “I feel like I had a good day.’’

It then got better as he ventured up the stairs of the VMAC and a little while later signed his rookie contract.

Murphy, a defensive tackle out of Texas, will get a four-year contract worth a fully-guaranteed $16.083 million.

The contract includes a signing bonus of $8.516 million and base salaries that increase over the four years from $795,000 this season to $2.988 million in 2027. 

The Seahawks then can also enact an option for a fifth-year (or, the 2028 season) in spring of 2027.

None of that is negotiable as years and dollar amounts are set per the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

What can be negotiated is the order of bonus payments.

That was an issue last year with cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who as the fifth overall pick got a much larger contract — $31.861 million overall with a $20.17 million signing bonus.

Some haggling over how much of the bonus would be paid out up front led to Witherspoon not signing his contract until July 28, and only after missing the first two days of training camp.

But there will be no such drama this year as Murphy’s quick signing was foreshadowed Thursday when his agent, Ron Slavin, accompanied him to an introductory news conference at the VMAC.

Murphy’s contract includes a salary cap hit of $2.9 million, which grows to $5.1 million by 2027. 

Once rookie contracts are signed, teams have to account for those cap hits. 

And, as the rookies sign, the Seahawks will have to do some finagling to get cap compliant.

Via OverTheCap.com, fitting in Murphy’s cap hit means the Seahawks are now $393,033 over the salary cap, the only team in the NFL not under the cap. 

Even more relevant, OTC now have the Seahawks at $3.39 million over the cap in effective cap space, which takes into account the cap hits for the other seven draft picks.

Seahawks president of football operations John Schneider acknowledged Thursday during an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 that “we’re pretty tight’’ against the cap.

But Schneider said the team has plans for not only getting cap compliant but creating enough space to continue to make some moves during the season.

“We’re budgeted to keep trying to improve,’’ he said.

Schneider said one way to get under the number is through “some of the automatic stuff that can happen (with contracts) where you can create cap space.’’

That most notably means enacting some restructures in which the base salary of a player for this season is turned into a signing bonus, which can then be spread out over the life of the deal.

One possibility for a restructure is receiver DK Metcalf, who is due a salary of $13 million this year. 

A restructure would create almost $6 million in cap space this season (players have to take a minimum base salary that still counts against the cap).

The Seahawks could also turn the restricted free agent contracts of cornerback Michael Jackson (due a nonguaranteed salary of $3.116 million) and linebacker Jon Rhattigan (due a nonguaranteed salary of just over $2.9 million) into more conventional deals in which each is given a signing bonus — thereby assuring them some money for this year — in lieu of a lower overall salary and cap hit.

That Murphy has now signed, though, means that the Seahawks may logically not be able to make any further signings of free agents until making some of those moves to create cap space.

Most notably, sources have said the Seahawks remain in contact with Jamal Adams, whom the team cut in March and who remains a free agent, about returning.

While nothing has been deemed imminent, the Seahawks would likely now have to make a move if they wanted to sign Adams.

AJ Barner sits out with hamstring issue 

All eight draft picks were on the field Friday aside from tight end AJ Barner of Michigan, who was taken with the 121^st overall pick (fourth round).

Barner was sidelined with a hamstring injury that coach Mike Macdonald portrayed as not overly serious.

“He’s got a little hammy,’’ Macdonald said. “Nothing major. He’ll be out a couple of days, if that. But we’re just playing it safe right now.”

Barner said he suffered the injury while training during the pre-draft process.

“Training as a track athlete and not as a football player,’’ he said.

Barner called having to watch Friday “super tough.’’

“I’m a competitor and I love being out here,’’ he said. “And one thing to me, I’m going to do everything I can to be back as fast as possible and I’m on a track to be back really soon.”

Seahawks officially sign 16 undrafted free agents

Before Friday’s practice the Seahawks announced their 16 official undrafted free agent signees. They are: OLB Sunny Anderson, Grambling State; OLB Nelson Ceaser, Houston; QB Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State; LB Easton Gibbs, Wyoming; T Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State; WR Hayden Hatten, Idaho; RB George Holani, Boise State; CB Carlton Johnson, Fresno State; DE DeVere Levelston, SMU; RB Kobe Lewis, Florida Atlantic; C Mike Novitsky, Kansas; CB Ro Torrence, Arizona State; TE Jack Westover, Washington; WR/RS Dee Williams, Tennessee; OLB Rason Williams II, Louisiana Tech; RB TaMerik Williams, North Dakota State.

The signings put Seattle’s roster at 89, leaving the Seahawks room to sign one of the players currently in on a tryout basis, if they desire.

NOTES

• Three tryout players have local ties — Oregon State receiver Jesiah Irish, who attended Mount Si High; Washington State linebacker Devin Richardson (who also played at Texas where he was teammates with Murphy in 2021 and 2022); and receiver Freddie Roberson of Mississippi State, who attended Rainier Beach High and began his career at Eastern Washington.

• Three QBs took part Friday — Cordeiro and tryout players Taulia Tagovailoa of Maryland and Kory Curtis of Gannon. Tagovailoa is the younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins. “I’m excited he’s here,’’ Macdonald said. “He had a good first day, it looked like.”