Well, well, well. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen has been under intense scrutiny after a tremendous rookie season, and now there are serious questions regarding his future with the team.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport wrote on Sunday that teams are looking at the fourth-year cornerback as a trade target, which in itself is not really a story, but reading between the lines can also be a case of “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Woolen played every snap against the San Francisco 49ers, but a brutal fourth quarter in which he gave up multiple big catches and the game-winning touchdown resulted in plenty of criticism. Mike Macdonald all but indicated that Woolen was in competition for playing time with Josh Jobe, but Devon Witherspoon’s injury may have changed that equation. Woolen still played 59 of 62 defensive snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 71 or 72 in the blowout versus the New Orleans Saints, and 62 of 67 snaps against the Arizona Cardinals. This is functionally no different than last season’s rotation so I’m not sure where “playing time has diminished” has come from.
With all of that said, something’s been up with Woolen over the past three seasons to varying degrees. Pete Carroll briefly benched him for lackluster tackling effort in 2023 (albeit with Carroll acknowledging a shoulder issue), then Macdonald sat him for the opening drive against the Minnesota Vikings for a team violation. Through the first four weeks of 2025, Woolen has been flagged six times (four accepted) and Coach Macdonald said that he believes Woolen is “pressing maybe, a little bit.” The mental lapses, more than anything else, may be one of Woolen’s biggest issues.
Of course, Woolen is in a contract year, and with all of the noise swirling it doesn’t feel like an extension is likely. This doesn’t mean Riq is going to be traded, but he may be a name to watch when the trade deadline comes around on November 4.
It’s worth noting that however you view Riq, someone whose ball skills and interceptions took the league by surprise in 2022, he’s the only tall corner on the depth chart. Every other listed cornerback on the squad is no taller than 6’0, so you could be looking at one of the shorter cornerback rooms in the NFL if Woolen is dealt.
