With the 2026 new league year just around the corner, there are trade rumors galore. On top of that, the NFC West is preparing for an arms race with the Los Angeles Rams trading for All-Pro (and former Washington Huskies) cornerback, Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this week.
The trade rumors around the Seattle Seahawks seem to be tied to them acquiring an edge rusher such as Maxx Crosby or Jonathan Greenard. However, there is a good chance if Seattle were to pull off a trade like
this, that they would need to part with a current player on their roster. This article will go through a few players that the Seahawks may need to ship out to bring in a talent like Crosby, Greenard, or someone else.
Tyrice Knight
The first option is linebacker, Tyrice Knight. The former 2024 4th round pick out of UTEP started nine games as a rookie. However, after an injury-ridden training camp, Knight lost his starting job to Drake Thomas, who has not looked back since. Although Thomas is set to be a restricted free agent, all signs point to Seattle bringing him back to start alongside Ernest Jones IV.
Knight has excelled on special teams and has looked solid when starting in place of Thomas. Remember those two fumbles return touchdowns by Demarcus Lawrence last season against the Arizona Cardinals? Both fumbles were forced by Tyrice Knight. These impressive performances by Knight could be intriguing to another club. If Seattle were in position to trade for a Maxx Crosby, and the Raiders wanted a starting caliber player in return, sending Knight to help the thin linebacker core in Las Vegas could help seal this deal.
Christian Haynes/Olu Oluwatimi
The second and third options are backup interior lineman, Christian Haynes or Olu Oluwatimi. Yes, the Seahawks could be in position to actually trade away some offensive linemen this off-season. The reason, the “or” is in place here is because you would not want to trade both guys.
Haynes, a former 2024 3rd round pick out of UConn has underwhelmed his entire time in Seattle. Despite this, Haynes was considered a quality prospect coming into the 2023 Draft, to the point where it seemed like a great value pick taking Haynes in the 3rd round. Other teams could be interested in a reclamation project for the once highly touted prospect. If the Vikings were interested in sending Jonathan Greenard to Seattle, a 2nd round pick and Haynes could potentially seal the deal.
Oluwatimi, a former 2023 5th round pick out of Michigan is entering the last year of his contract and has been relegated to backup center behind Jalen Sundell. When Oluwatimi played for an injured Sundell this season, he did not look bad. However, the problem for Oluwatimi is that he is not very versatile. Because of this, Seattle could look to send the former Rimington Trophy award winner to a center needy team (there are tons of them).
The even better part is that Seattle might already have their backup center on roster. The aforementioned Haynes has taken snaps at center (as is why you would not want to trade both guys). Second year linemen, Bryce Cabeldue and Mason Richman have also taken snaps at the position. Seattle could also look at the draft for a backup as well, which would give them four years of club control rather than the one year with Oluwatimi. Like Haynes, Oluwatimi could be an option in a trade for another player. However, Seattle could be inclined to move Oluwatimi on his own to help recover some later draft picks.
Derick Hall
The last option may be a little surprising to some. However, the former second round pick out of Auburn is also entering his last year on his deal and could be an option to move if Seattle needed to sweeten the deal for a star player like Maxx Crosby. I don’t see an option where Hall is traded outside of a massive deal for another star Edge rusher. Seattle is already thin at the position as it is. However, reports are stating that the Raiders are asking for a “Micah Parsons-type package” for Crosby. The Green Bay Packers sent the Dallas Cowboys two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark in order to get Parsons. If Seattle really wants to get Crosby, they may need to party with a young talented edge rusher like Hall to help facilitate the deal.
