Hey, remember when the Seattle Seahawks signed offensive lineman Bobby Hart before mandatory minicamp? He’s an experienced tackle who was a three-year starter for the Cincinnati Bengals, and he’s the “competition” for Josh Jones heading into training camp.
If you’re curious as to how much Hart costs, as I’m sure you are on this late June day, we have our very simple answer (courtesy of OverTheCap.com).
Bobby Hart’s Seattle Seahawks contract
- Length of contract: 1 year
- Base salary: $1.3 million
- Cap number: $1.075 million
- Cap savings if released: $1.075 million
There is no signing or per-game roster bonus for Hart, so this is the most straightforward contract
you can get. Hart is the Seahawks’ latest use of the Veteran Salary Benefit (VSB), which allows them to sign players with four minimum credited seasons but only have a cap charge equivalent to two credited seasons.
For the 2026 season, the minimum for two credited seasons is $1.075 million, while the minimum for a player with nine credited seasons (in this instance, Hart) is $1.3 million. Additional compensation (e.g. signing bonus) has to max out at $167,500 to still qualify for VSB status.
Hart’s contract is so inexpensive that it doesn’t even qualify for top 51 status, which is the number of players whose money counts toward the salary cap in a 90-man roster.
For context, Josh Jones’ contract is one-year and $4 million, with a cap charge of $3.955 million, $1.5 million guaranteed, and a $1.5 million signing bonus. With Jones recently saying he believes he’ll be ready for training camp, it’d be a surprise if Hart managed to land a spot on the 53-man roster ahead of Seattle’s top reserve from last season.
