Where are your Seahawks 2026 free agent priorities?
You're the Seahawks GM now: Which upcoming free agents would you prioritize?
The Seattle Seahawks 2026 free agent class will go down as one of their most important in franchise history. With four top-75 picks in the 2022 draft, all of whom have “hit” to some degree, and another two battleship strikes in the secondary on day three, the Seahawks are in the process of fitting the pieces together in order for the puzzle to come together in 2026 and beyond.
Perhaps what is most amazing about that class is that Seattle didn’t even have their own first round pick (10th overall, which went to the Jets in the Jamal Adams trade) that year, but they still landed as many as six starters in one draft.
John Schneider has already started the process of keeping the band together by picking up the fifth-year option on first round pick Charles Cross, then making Michael Dickson the highest-paid punter in the league six weeks later. There go two would-be 2026 free agents who will no longer be.
That still leaves at least six key free agents in 2026 — perhaps more if any of their “less important” additions (example: LB Josh Jones) turns out to be a Schneider steal.
OvertheCap currently projects $55.9 million in 2026 cap space for the Seahawks, but this number could be significantly increased if Seattle makes expected moves like releasing Uchenna Nwosu and/or restructuring Sam Darnold’s contract. If the Seahawks are desperate to keep their entire 2022 class, they can do it.
But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. The players will also be under no obligation to agree to Seattle’s offer — unless one of them is tagged. And there can only be one.
Who would YOU prioritize?
You are now the GM of the Seahawks for this one assignment:
Just tell us which players you would prioritize based on all of the information we have available to us right now.
I’ve created six polls for the top-6 upcoming Seahawks free agents. Just vote a 5 if you think that this is the most important player to keep, a 1 if it is the LEAST important player, or a 2, 3, 4 if the answer is somewhere in the middle.
I would suggest — for the betterment of the experiment — to only give out one “5” vote today. So scroll down and read every name before you vote and then fire away. I can’t control if someone hits a 5 or a 1 on every poll, but I trust the Seaside Joe community to do the right thing and spread around the scores with honest answers.
I’ll share the results and rank these six free agents 1-6 later in the week based on what the community thinks.
What would YOU do?
CB Tariq Woolen
A confounding and frustrating player, Woolen may yet have the type of season that puts him in the “DPOY” conversation. Or he could be benched.
But are the Seahawks prepared to lose a starting cornerback?
OT Abe Lucas
Lucas would be the easiest player to prioritize, if not for his knees.
RB Kenneth Walker III
Walker is the trickiest situation because his ceiling as a running back is so high (look at the value that Saquon Barkley brought to the Eagles last year — even if Walker won’t ever be THAT good, he could still be great) but his consistency, his health, and his fit have all been in question.
The Seahawks could try to keep Walker at a discount if they extend him within the next two months, or they could play it a little safer and wait until next year. If Walker has a breakout season though, he might end up costing twice as much.
OLB Boye Mafe
Though Mafe plays one of the most important positions and could be a huge loss if he leaves in free agency, there is a very good chance that he will be overpaid no matter how his 2025 season goes. Pass rushers get more money than most of us would believe their statistics indicate they deserve.
For example, is Josh Sweat worth the $19 million per season that he got from the Cardinals this year? I don’t know — maybe he is — but I’ve never thought about Josh Sweat before in my life.
S Coby Bryant
The Seahawks drafted Nick Emmanwori early in the second round and extended Julian Love in 2024, so even if Bryant is not quite the same as those two, how much more can Seattle invest into the safety position at this point?
On the other, Bryant would be less expensive than most players on this list.
TE Noah Fant
Fant is likely at the biggest disadvantage on this list because he’s older, he plays a position that the Seahawks have invested recent draft picks into, and he hasn’t lived up to his 2024 contract numbers.
It may take a true breakout season for Fant to move up this list in any meaningful way.
2026 unrestricted free agents not given a poll: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, LB Josh Jones, DT Johnathan Hankins, TE Eric Saubert, CB Josh Jobe, DT Quinton Bohanna, S D’Anthony Bell, CB Tyler Hall, WR Steven Sims, CB Shemar Jean-Charles, WR Dareke Young
Seaside Joe 2309
I gave my 5 to Abe. Assuming he really has 2 knees this year, it’s a given.
Some combination of Cobe, Mafe and K9 will be extended. All 3 need a breakout season, except maybe Mafe. Is there even such a thing as a mid level second contract price for a OLB? It seems you either pay them a huge contract or let them walk.
I’m ambivalent about Fant. Willing to give a mulligan for ’24 in Grubb’s system. And even then, he ran that one play where he lined up as a blocker and got open for a reception in many games. And he’s a pretty sticky blocker sometimes.
I will be shocked if they extend Woolen. I hope he proves me wrong but I have never seen a player with better stats who looks worse in actual games.
WOOLEN: My inclination on Woolen is you can’t sign him unless he resolves his issues that have plagued him and gotten him benched not only by MM, but also by Carroll. He’s got to limit his mental lapses and continue to work on his run game defense. I don’t see him signed until well into the season, if at all. If Jobe takes a step forward and Shaq Griffin plays as well as he did in MN last year, I could see Woolen traded before the deadline. Less than likely to get a contract before January.
LUCAS: I believe they want to find a reason to extent him as much or more than anyone on this list. I doubt they will do it unless his knee is still holding up near the end of the season. It will be costly waiting, because if he looks fully healthy, I can see him as a pro bowl RT this year. He looks as if he’s in amazing shape in the pics and videos from camp so far. Less than likely to get a contract before December.
K9: If K9 stays healthy for 17 games, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get 1400 yards minimum. I would sign him early if he takes a discount for his injury history and lack of production since his rookie year. He might not want to sign and want to bet on himself. Less than likely to get a contract before January unless it is low on guaranteed and high on incentives.
MAFE: Mafe still feels like a player who has a higher upside of 12-14 sacks and good run defense. That being said he didn’t make a huge jump last year. I think they could offer him a contract that will be lower than he wants. Will he accept a low contract of ~ $15 million APY? It probably won’t get done before a prove it season this year. Less likely to get a contract before January.
BRYANT: When he got his chance, he grabbed it and he always seems to make big plays. He is also not likely to be extremely expensive. I see him signed before camp, or during camp. Maybe the first on unless they extend Cross before him.
FANT: If Arroyo looks healthy and making plays, I see Fant traded before the deadline. Unlikely to get extended at all.