Desperate for salary-cap space after a flurry of contract extensions, the Seattle Seahawks have parted ways with starting defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, the team announced Sunday.
The 30-year-old defensive tackle was slated to make $2.5 million in 2015.
McDaniel played almost 450 snaps over 14 games last season and helped push Seattle to a second consecutive Super Bowl. He had 17 tackles and logged a safety while maintaining his strong play against the run.
In short, he will not last long on the open market as teams continue to vacuum up quality free agents.
Unfortunately for McDaniel, he does not fit in to general manager John Schneider's vision of a core player. The team extended quarterback Russell Wilson on Friday and inked linebacker Bobby Wagner to a $43 million extension on Saturday.
In order to balance the checkbook, someone had to go.
Moving forward, it will be fascinating to see if Schneider gets it right. Often, the concept of a core is overlooked or at least overvalued. He has paid the obvious stars, but will he lose hidden gems as the process goes on?
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