The Seattle Seahawks aren’t quite who we thought they were – not coming into this season when we predicted they’d go 11-6 and definitely not when they were 3-0 to start the year. Even though they have already made a couple of aggressive trades over the last few weeks to improve their defense, you can make a case that their current playoff odds (not good) say they should be sellers at next week’s NFL trade deadline rather than buyers. So, who could they sell, exactly?

One NFL analyst, Cody Benjamin at CBS Sports suggests that Seattle send veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

CBS on Tyler Lockett Seahawks-Steelers trade

“Mike Tomlin has pivoted fully to the Russell Wilson experience, and so far, the move has paid dividends, expanding Pittsburgh’s downfield passing game atop the AFC North. Why not take it an extra mile and reunite Wilson with one of his favorite targets from Seattle? Lockett isn’t likely to be in the Seahawks’ long-term plans at 32, with both DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in town, and could make for a savvy complement to the field-stretching George Pickens.”

Beloved as Tyler Lockett is, there is some logic here on Seattle’s side. Lockett is near the end of the line and his role has contracted a great deal over the last season and a half for the Seahawks passing game. Heading into Week 9 Lockett only has 31 catches for 393 receiving yards and one touchdown.

It also makes sense for the Steelers, who could really, really use a legitimate WR2 to pair with George Pickens – and Lockett has a better chemistry with Russell Wilson than any other pass-catcher in the league. Adding Lockett would give Pittsburgh a much-needed extra weapon headed into the stretch run in a crowded AFC playoff field.

On the other hand, we should probably mention that the way Lockett’s new contract is structured makes it pretty much impossible to justify moving him to another team in 2024 – and that’s by design. According to Over the Cap, trading Lockett would only save the team $5 million in cap space, while taking on $14 million in dead money.  It would be nice to see Lockett get to make another deep playoff run before he has to hang it up, but his contract basically guarantees that he’ll finish his career in Seattle – and that’s the way it should be.