Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Kole Musgrove

NFL Free Agency: Seahawks give S Ryan Neal right of first refusal tender

The Seattle Seahawks have been unusually active in free agency thus far. Not only have they successfully re-signed quarterback Geno Smith, they also made quite a splash signing of former Broncos defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones. However, the Seahawks are not quite finished.

On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Seattle insider Brady Henderson reported the Seahawks placed right of first refusal tender on safety Ryan Neal, who is a restricted free agent.

The world of restricted free agency in the NFL is a bit complicated, and not often explored. At least not for the big names we see each year moving teams. What this means is Ryan Neal can negotiate with other teams, but Seattle has the right to match whatever offer he might receive. According to the NFL, if the Seahawks do decline to match an offer Neal receives and he leaves, the organization is not compensated draft picks like it would with other restricted free agency tenders.

Placing Neal on such a low tender is a little surprising given how valuable he was for Seattle’s ailing defense. For the past three years Neal has been a contributing member in the Seahawks secondary, and in 2022 he started ten games. Neal finished last season with 66 total tackles, one sack and one interception.

Seattle is clearly testing to see what Neal’s market actually is. But it is hard to imagine there isn’t a team out there willing to top the Seahawks low offer.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.