Seattle Seahawks sign TE Lance Mason

Lance Mason's three-year, $3.12M deal earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), landing in fair-deal territory for a signing that carries almost no financial downside for Seattle but limited upside on the field. At a $1.04M AAV, this is a minimum-range contract that slots Mason in as a depth piece or roster-filler at tight end — not a move that signals expectation of meaningful production, but rather a low-cost bet on developmental potential or special teams utility. The contract structure tells the whole story on risk: with just $20K guaranteed, the Seahawks have essentially zero financial exposure here, which makes the C+ CVI more a reflection of uncertainty about Mason's on-field ceiling than any concern about cap inefficiency. What keeps this from grading higher is the reported competition for roster spots at the position — signing into a crowded tight end room limits the probability that Mason's contract actually converts into meaningful playing time, which is the real variable driving the CVI down from the B range. For a team sitting at 14-3 and holding the top seed in the NFC, this is the kind of low-stakes, high-volume offseason roster management you'd expect: fill the depth chart, see who emerges, cut bait cleanly if it doesn't work. Seattle takes on virtually no salary cap liability, and at three years, they've bought themselves time to evaluate without any real commitment. This is a sensible transaction, but sensible is not the same as shrewd.