The Seattle Seahawks are one of the deepest teams in the NFL this year when it comes to the cornerback position. That power at corner just helped them land help at a position where they're decidedly thinner. According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, Seattle has just traded cornerback Mike Jackson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for linebacker Michael Barrett.
Jackson was a fifth-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2019 but he wound up never actually playing in a live game for them. He's gone on to appear in 38 games all together, with 36 of them on the Seahawks. Jackson has played relatively well in Seattle, allowing just two touchdowns over the last two seasons in coverage.
However, Jackson became expendable a few months ago when Seattle doubled up at the cornerback position in the 2024 NFL draft, picking Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James out of Auburn. Pritchett now projects as the undisputed number one option on the depth chart behind Riq Woolen at the right boundary postiion, while Tre Brown now has no legitimate competition to start on the left side. Meanwhile, other cornerbacks who may have been on the roster bubble (like James) going into this last week of the preseason get a little bit more breathing room.
Financial details of the deal have not yet been reported by anybody, but according to figures at Over the Cap, the trade could save the Seahawks a little over $1 million in salary cap room for the 2024 season. They'll also take on $167,500 in dead money.
As for Barrett, the offseason ascension of rookie linebacker Trevin Wallace (who picked off Aaron Rodgers at joint practice last week) out of Kentucky may have pushed Barrett onto the trade block for the Panthers. A seventh-round draft pick out of Michigan, Barrett posted the highest Pro Football Focus grades for Carolina's defense and special teams units against the New York Jets in Saturday night's preseason game.
