Report: Seahawks releasing Quinton Jefferson

Monday the legal tampering period of free agency opened and the Seattle Seahawks got right to work with reports of the impending release of Shelby Harris coming out almost instantly. However, the biggest news of the day for the team came late, with the Hawks making a big wave by agreeing to terms with Dre’Mont Jones of the Denver Broncos.

Tuesday reports emerged that the team would be freeing up cap space by moving on from a second veteran member of the defensive line.

The release of Quinton Jefferson continues the rebuild of the defensive front, and likely means the team is comfortable with the ability of Jones to replace Jefferson’s production as a pass rusher. Jefferson was second on the Hawks defense in quarterback pressures behind Uchenna Nwosu, tied for second in quarterback hits and third on the team in sacks.

The release of Jefferson means it will be the fourth consecutive offseason in which he is testing the free agent market. In 2020 he signed with the Buffalo Bills, and then in 2021 joined the Las Vegas Raiders before returning to the Seahawks in 2022.

The move frees up $4.485M of cap space.