Seahawks To Release CB DeShawn Shead

The Seahawks plan to release cornerback DeShawn Shead on Monday after his contract tolls to give him a chance to become an unrestricted free agent, 950 KJR in Seattle’s Curtis Crabtree hears from the player’s agent Cameron Foster

According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson (Twitter link), the Seahawks are honoring their statement to allow him to become a free agent despite the NFL recently deciding that his contract should toll. Shead has a meeting scheduled with the Lions, but Henderson also adds the team is hoping to bring back the veteran cornerback, who missed all but two games in 2017 in his return from tearing his ACL in a playoff game against Atlanta in January. The move is not related to the team’s recent defensive transactions that have seen the departures of Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett and Jeremy Lane.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, a player’s contract will toll — roll over to the 2018 season — if a player in the final year of his contract remains on the physically unable to perform list past the sixth game of the season. A restricted free agent in 2016, Shead signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks for $1.2 MM. He would be owed that same amount in 2018 if his contract tolled. Foster commended the team for the move.

“They called me and they said, ‘just giving you a heads up that we’re going to release DeShawn on Monday, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want him. That means we are living up to our word and we’re going to release him, otherwise his contract would be required to toll.’ So kudos to the Seahawks for doing the right thing.”

Shead signed with the Seahawks in 2012 after going undrafted coming out of Portland State. The following season he was promoted from the practice team and helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII over the Broncos. In 2016, he started 15 games and registered an interception with 14 passes defensed.

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