The Seahawks are declining the fifth-year option on defensive end L.J. Collier’s contract, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
It was an expected decision since Collier has started only 16 games and made only three sacks in three seasons. He played only 30 percent of the defensive snaps last season, seeing action in only 10 games as the Seahawks made him a healthy scratch in seven games.
The fifth-year option would have fully guaranteed Collier $11.5 million for 2023.
The Seahawks have never exercised a fifth-year option on an eligible first-round pick they drafted since the fifth-year option was added to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. They are picking up the fifth-year option on tight end Noah Fant after acquiring him from Denver in the Russell Wilson trade.