D.J. Fluker contract details emerge: $1.4 million cap hit in 2018

The Seattle Seahawks’ likely top guard headed into the 2018 NFL Draft, D.J. Fluker, will cost the team only $1.4 million against the salary cap, according to a Twitter post by HawkBlogger’s Evan Hill.

Although the contract details haven’t been officially released or reported yet, Hill, a former contributor to OverTheCap.com says the NFL salary web site has the complete numbers. According to Hill, Fluker’s base salary will be $800,000 with a $300,000 signing bonus and roster bonuses totaling another $400,000 on the one-year deal. That makes for considerable savings over last season’s one-year contract for former Jacksonville Jaguars guard Luke Joeckel, which amounted to $7.25 million against the cap with bonuses that took Joeckel’s earnings up to $8 million. Joeckel started 11 games in 2017 and the former second-overall draft pick largely failed to live up to his hefty contract in Seattle even when available.

With Joeckel now departed and Fluker traditionally a right guard, the affordable signing leaves open the possibility Seahawks general manager John Schneider will want to bring in still more competition at left guard either in further free agency or the draft. 2017 second round draft pick Ethan Pocic mostly lined up at right guard as a rookie, but also filled in for Joeckel on the left side when the veteran got hurt early in the season.

Fluker also missed considerable time to injury in his one year on the New York Giants, playing only six games in 2017 while earning $3 million, but former Giants offensive line coach Mike Solari was presumably comfortable enough with Fluker’s fitness to endorse bringing Fluker along to Seattle.