Tuesday afternoon the 2022 NFL Trade Deadline came and went, and the Seattle Seahawks opted to avoid making any deadline additions for the stretch run. The team also was apparently unable to find any other teams interested in cornerback Sidney Jones, who was widely reported to have been on the trade block for weeks. Then, after standing pat at the deadline, the Hawks opted to move on from Jones, sending him to the waiver wire, and the timing of that move tells says everything about whether or not the move was cap related.
to understand why the timing is important regarding the cap, it is necessary to understand a second function of the trade deadline in the NFL beyond just the disallowance of trades.