The Seattle Seahawks are getting their money’s worth out of the 2023 NFL Draft class both on and off of the field. Literally!
As is tradition for most franchises across the league, rookies are expected to pick up the tab for one expensive meal — usually dinner — each year. Seattle held their ‘rookie dinner’ on Thursday night.
While the first glance at the initial number is staggering, it isn’t that bad when put in proper perspective!
The Seahawks had 10 picks in last year’s NFL Draft, which is three more than normal. They also had two first and second rounders, so their rookies had a little bit more jangle in their pockets than normal.
- Round 1, No. 5: Devon Witherspoon
- Round 1, No. 20: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Round 2, No. 37: Derick Hall
- Round 2, No. 52: Zach Charbonnet
- Round 4, No. 108: Anthony Bradford
- Round 4, No. 123: Cameron Young
- Round 5, No. 151: Mike Morris
- Round 5, No. 154: Olusegun Oluwatimi
- Round 6, No. 198: Jerrick Reed II
- Round 7, No. 237: Kenny McIntosh
Veteran linebacker Uchenna Nwosu posted the bill from their team dinner. They drove out to Bellevue, which is just east of the city, and hit up El Gaucho— one of the top steakhouses in the Seattle area.
The entire order totaled $22,203.60. That included a 22% service charge of $3,521.98 (seems egregious) on a $16,709 bill with $1,972.62 in taxes.
The Seahawks’ bill comes out to just under 3% of Witherspoon’s base salary in 2023, which is a massive chunk. However, $22,203.6 split 10 ways is about $2,220 per player.
A first rounder can afford that. A seventh rounder? Maybe not quite as much. Hopefully the early-round picks took a larger percentage of the check! If not, McIntosh and Reed’s wallets are hurting today.
Some of the most expensive items on the bill included a $139 lobster tail, an $85 rib steak with $18 bone marrow and a $7 side of bearnaise, a $71 filet, an $82 peppercorn New York strip, and a $59 salmon. Here is the full tab:
It wasn’t cheap, but it absolutely could have been a lot worse. Rookie dinners usually run much higher!