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Both moves have been reported for a while now, but the Seahawks went ahead and made the releases of defensive end Red Bryant and wide receiver Sidney Rice official on Friday.

“We want to thank both Red and Sidney for their effort, commitment and contribution to the Seattle Seahawks over the last few years,” executive vice president/General Manager John Schneider said in a release fromt he team. “These are extremely tough decisions, but we wanted to give them a head start on free agency. We wish them well in the future.”

Bryant was due a $3 million roster bonus in March and is coming off a year that saw him slide down the defensive line rotation in terms of playing time. Bryant is still an effective player against the run, though, and shouldn’t have much trouble finding suitors for his services. Rice is recovering from a torn ACL, the latest in a series of injuries that marred his time in Seattle.

The two moves will clear more than $12 million in cap space for the Seahawks to use in the 2014 season. They were able to make several smart free agent pickups last year using not much more money than that. That extra cash this year could be used to re-sign defensive end Michael Bennett, who was one of those reasonably priced pickups that helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl last season.