The Seattle Seahawks have built a juggernaut roster on the strength of several stellar draft classes, blockbuster trades, and smart free agent signings.
Leading the influx is the trio of Sam Darnold, DeMarcus Lawrence and Cooper Kupp. Soon, the conversation will turn to the nine guys about to hit free agency. Nine players, all of them contributors, and history would say that fans will be disappointed to learn that at least one or two of their favorites will not return.
While it shouldn’t, it seems
every year that the Super Bowl winners get a slight boost on the open market, such that inevitably a few players are poached by weak teams looking to for playmakers.
So who’s made the biggest splash this offseason, and who’s got the most prospective dollars to gain in the Super Bowl?
1) Kenneth Walker and Rashid Shaheed
This one’s pretty obvious. Both Walker and Rasheed play premium skill positions, and both have had big moments with all eyes on them in the past three weeks. Walker, finally reemerging as a feature back after being nea
The question for each of these men is the same. Will a team see them as either a true RB1 or WR2 and be willing to commit to the commensurate starter’s contract. For Walker, I think another day of consistency plus one of those moves that made Omar Speights look like your 7-year old had the Madden controller could go a long way. Seattle has a back they like; Zach Charbonnet plus Walker make two. Quite a few teams don’t even have one.
Shaheed is awesome, but nobody will throw $15 million to a return specialist. His 50-yarder against the Los Angeles Rams was his first really big pass play in a Seahawks uniform. If he is the second best receiver in a big game against the Patriots corners, I’m afraid of what that might do to his value, as much as he’s indicated he wants to stay.
2) Tariq Woolen
Everybody’s interested in Woolen now. He’s gone from undisciplined interceptions to true lock-down corner. After a dreadful start to 2025, Woolen ended with 4.8 yards per target allowed – his best season by over half a yard.
The question for Woolen has become: Does another NFL team believe they can manage the mental aspects of Woolen’s game better than Seattle, so that talent outweighs extracurriculars? Does Mike Macdonald believe he’s coached Woolen to fit within “12 as 1”?
Woolen is one of the players this weekend who could most definitively take over the game. Drake Maye will have to do MVP runner-up type things to win the game, and if he ends up testing Woolen too much to some nationally-noticed interceptions, teams may choose to Pay Around and Find Out at well over $20 million. I’m not convinced the Seahawks would do that.
Woolen – to me at least – has the biggest unknown range of what his open market value will actually be worth.
3) Coby Bryant and Josh Jobe
Bryant’s further down the list just because I don’t think Sunday can change his prospects in the slightest. He is very good. He’s still not got big name notoriety, which I hope bodes well in Seattle’s favor. The Seahawks do have a bit of a safety surplus, so this is more of an internal dollars-and-options conversation than it is a talent conversation. Can you justify paying Bryant premier safety money with Ty Okada as an Exclusive Rights free agent?
Put Josh Jobe largely in the same category, with the big exception that the team doesn’t have standout corners behind him. Besides flexing Nick Emmanwori, there’s no one. Neither of these players will find a better fit than in Seattle, but there are teams who would upgrade their secondary with either of them.
4) Special Teams
Dareke Young, Chazz Surratt, a couple of guys who consistently impress in kick coverage. The body of work over the season will play much more than this postseason, however.
5) Josh Jones and Boye Mafe
I don’t believe Boye Mafe will be back, and I don’t believe there’s anything he could do on Sunday to change that. I do believe Josh Jones is incredibly valuable, but it might be more prudent to find someone who could play RT and RG than exclusively backup tackle. Outside a first-quarter injury to either tackle, I’m not sure there’s much that any Super Bowl performance will impact.
