We’ve reached the end of June, which means we’re just a few weeks away from training camp and the start of NFL preseason. For the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, their offseason has not been nearly as flashy as the Los Angeles Rams, but it hasn’t been completely silent. They kept most of their free agents in quantity, even if some of their higher profile free agents went elsewhere. There were also a couple of notable contract extensions, as well as another hotly debated use of a first-round
pick on a running back.
ESPN’s Seth Walder has filed his offseason report cards for every team, basing his grades on all decisions made in the 2026 offseason. The Seahawks come in at a modest B-, but the move Walder disliked is one I don’t think I would’ve predicted even with five guesses.
Biggest move: Extending WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Move I liked: Extending OT Charles Cross
Move I disliked: Letting Edge Boye Mafe leave in free agencyAfter winning the Super Bowl, the Seahawks were inevitably going to have some departures. Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III went to the Chiefs. He was followed by safety Coby Bryant (Bears), cornerback Riq Woolen (Eagles) and Mafe (Bengals). And offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak became the Raiders’ head coach.
The Seahawks weren’t going to be able to keep their Super Bowl-winning roster intact, so they had to prioritize. And instead of bringing in outside personnel, they focused their spending on extending homegrown talent. Smith-Njigba, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, received a massive (and deserved) $42.15 million-per-year extension. Cross received a $26.1 million extension for his work at left tackle. Derick Hall was given a middle-class edge rusher extension at $14 million per year. Seattle also re-signed CB Josh Jobe and WR Rashid Shaheed.
Regarding those decisions on whom to keep and whom to let go, I’m less fond of the choice of Hall over Mafe. This was the easier path because Hall was still under contract, but I would rather have Mafe — who has proved to be very good against the run and the pass on a per-snap basis. Perhaps Seattle could have traded Hall and paid a few more million for Mafe.
I should note that Charles Cross was extended during last season, so that technically should not count as an offseason move, but whatever. Losing Mafe, who was a good rotational player but not as important as DeMarcus Lawrence or Uchenna Nwosu, does not seem like a big deal. Had Hall not been injured and suspended for the better part of three games, he would’ve likely been even with or outsnapped Mafe outright. Given the contract Mafe received and how much Hall’s extension cost for his production and potential, I’d keep Hall 10 times out of 10.
Maybe the biggest shock of this article is Walder giving the Los Angeles Rams a C+, with a lot of it based on the Ty Simpson draft pick. He also doesn’t seem to be a huge fan of the trade and extension of cornerback Trent McDuffie, and he acknowledged the value the Rams gave up in Jared Verse after acquiring Myles Garrett.
The San Francisco 49ers received a B+, led by their free agent signings of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, while the Arizona Cardinals got a D and were hammered for the Jeremiyah Love pick.
