What’s the first thing I would do?
Call DeMarcus Lawrence and see what it would take to convince him to play in 2026. His impact in the Super Bowl run cannot be underestimated. Sweetening the pot as a gesture, showing how much you want him around, would be a strong start to free agency.
According to Brady Henderson, Lawrence considered retiring a year ago before signing with the Seahawks on March 13th. If he’s working to a similar timescale this year, he might be close to making a decision.
What position could they focus on?
It could actually be guard — with some profile fits within this free agency group.
For example, Dylan Parham with the Raiders is only 26-years-old. He ran a 4.93 at his combine, despite weighing 311lbs. He also managed an explosive 9-0 broad jump. He has +33 inch arms and 10 1/4 inch hands.
A former third round pick, he took a step forward with his performance in 2024 before regressing, along with everyone else on that Raiders O-line, in 2025.
One of the reasons why he regressed? A classic Pete Carroll error repeated. They moved him from right guard, where he played well in 2024, to the left side for 2025. It’s Damien Lewis all over again.
Is there untapped potential to be had here? And will his price be reasonable given he’s still more about upside than pure production? This could be a name to watch.
Alternatively, Spencer Burford — San Francisco’s left guard — is a free agent. He’s worked with Brian Fleury before. There’s also Ed Ingram, who had a 76.5 grade as a zone blocker for Houston in 2025. A former second round pick for the Vikings, Ingram is strong in the running game. I don’t know how the Seahawks viewed him coming into the league, as there were some legal issues in college (although it should be noted all charges were dropped) and Minnesota clearly felt comfortable enough to take him in round two.
Burford is 25 and Ingram 27, so as with Parham, we’re talking about players at a good age.
None of this trio will get fans rushing to ‘X’ to declare the right guard position solved for a generation — but they feel like the kind of options they could target if they want to bring in a cost-effective outside free agent.
Remember, it’s not just about competition for Anthony Bradford. He’s out of contract after this season. So unless you want to extend him, you need a plan.
What happens at running back?
There’s increasing buzz that Ken Walker might get around $15-16m a year. Everyone likes Ken but you can’t go that high for a player who might’ve finished strongly but otherwise didn’t achieve anywhere near enough to justify that level of salary during his four-year spell in Seattle.
I think they’ll go after Kenneth Gainwell. I think they’ve been after a proper third down back for a long time. Gainwell is good in pass-protection and had 486 receiving yards for the Steelers last season. He’s also an underrated runner — recording 4.7 YPC in 2025.
I don’t see the point of signing someone like Tyler Allgeier because he’s so similar to Zach Charbonnet. I’m not sure why we’ve all written Charbonnet off for next season, given the well publicised development in ACL recovery over the years. Is he really destined to miss most of next season?
Even if I’m wrong and he does miss time, is Allgeier a zone-system runner?
If they want insurance for Charbonnet, perhaps they look at Brian Robinson Jr, who spent last season with the 49ers and can probably be had on a shorter-term, cheaper basis.
The more I’ve forced myself to consider this position, I think Gainwell could be an inspired addition. You get a dynamic pass-catching option with quickness, the ability to perform in zone and someone who can be great for you in passing situations.
I also wouldn’t completely rule out Jadarian Price being a target early in the draft, as well as Mike Washington Jr. I think some have overreacted to Price not having a stand-out forty time (4.49) and he’s still likely to be higher on some boards than people think.
What will they do with the pass rush?
I’ve gone back and forth on the idea of trading for Jonathan Greenard. On the one hand, you’re talking about a soon-to-be 29-year-old coming off an injury-hit season who wants a pay rise. If you watch the 2024 tape, as I’ve done today, you do see flashes of real quality.
It’s very easy to work out he’d be a good personality/character fit for this defense. I’m not sure there’s a veteran out there who can help you more than he could, provided you feel like he can return to his best level this year.
It’s an odd situation though. You’ve got Minnesota making it very known through the media that he’s available, while simultaneously announcing they want a good offer (a strong second day pick). Is it a bluff to try and smoke someone out? Are they prepared to keep him? Will they cut him if no offer comes in?
Seattle’s third round pick is #96. The Raiders gave them #92 for Geno Smith a year ago — a player they immediately signed to an extension to start at quarterback. I think I’d be comfortable giving the Vikings #96.
This would also help protect your comp picks for 2027 in a way that signing Arnold Ebiketie or Joseph Ossai wouldn’t. Plus, Greenard is a more proven commodity.
It’s just whether the Vikings would be willing to accept that kind of offer. If they aren’t, what then? I think it comes down to doing what you can to convince Lawrence to play on, doing something with Uchenna Nwosu’s contract to lower his $19m cap hit while retaining him and then looking to the draft.
As we’ve discussed, Cashius Howell is a character fit and his short arms are less of an issue if he replaces Boye Mafe as a specialist rusher. Malachi Lawrence has really intriguing physical tools. Romello Height had a pass-rush win percentage of 21.8% in 2025, second only to Reuben Bain among all of the ‘big name’ draft prospects expected to go in the first three rounds.
You’ve also got TJ Parker, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Joshua Josephs, Gabe Jacas, Jaishawn Barham, Mason Reiger and others. It’s not a class full of obvious stars who you pine for but there are rotational role players here.
I don’t think forcing anything would be a good idea. Seattle has great interior defenders on their defensive line and a Head Coach who has shown he can create pressure with his collective defense. Yes, they need a better plan for Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay. That’s not enough of a reason to throw the baby out with the bath water though. They’ll be OK.
Who could be a surprise target?
I have two names to suggest.
The first is receiver Mike Evans. We know the Seahawks like ‘force multipliers’. Players who are highly professional, lead by example and can influence things on and off the field. I think Evans fits the bill.
Dan Graziano projects he’ll cost $15m for one season. If that’s accurate, it’s semi-realistic. If it’s way beyond that price, it won’t be. There might be an opportunity here to bring in someone who showed against the Falcons in December he can still take over a game.
Some will argue because he had one injury-plagued season that he’s now a spent force. People similarly wrote-off DeMarcus Lawrence. Evans is one of the best receivers of his generation. There are very few ways to legitimately improve this roster. Putting Evans across from Jaxon Smith-Njigba feels like a way to do it.
I’m not sure whether moving to the other end of the country to play for a defensive-minded Head Coach and a first-time offensive play-caller interests him — but contending probably will. And who better to contend with than the current Champions?
It also might appeal to him that the Seahawks took players on who had suffered recent injuries in Lawrence and Cooper Kupp and had a plan to manage their health. The result? Both played the vast majority of the season, including the playoffs.
The second name is Bryan Cook, the safety for the Chiefs. I don’t think the Seahawks are going to be big spenders in free agency. However, I do think there’s at least a possibility there will be a player or two they’ve identified who can be difference makers where it’s worth competing for their signature.
I was a big fan of Cook in 2022, putting a gold star next to his name (as well as fellow safety free agent Nick Cross) on my horizontal board.
This is a player who tackles consistently well. In 2025 he only missed 5.6% of his tackles. He was at 6.2% in 2024.
Here’s the missed tackle percentage of Seattle’s safeties in 2025:
Coby Bryant — 18.7%
Julian Love — 14.9%
Nick Emmanwori — 11.7%
Ty Okada — 10.8%
Cook also defends the run at a high level and has a lot of playoff experience with the Chiefs.
It’s very possible the Seahawks either re-sign Bryant or just turn to Ty Okada. However, we’ve seen how important this position is for Mike Macdonald. If they see a top player in Cook, someone who could help elevate the defense now that Maxx Crosby is no longer available, perhaps they consider investing in him?
The more likely scenario is he’ll take a big contract somewhere else. We’ve seen in the past though, the safety market can stall. There could be an opportunistic signing to be had.
What happens with their in-house free agents?
I think it’s extremely safe to assume Riq Woolen departs. I’m not sure there’s any market, hot or cold, that sees him return. Boye Mafe is projected to get a handsome offer elsewhere and will likely head to a new home.
I don’t think Ken Walker returns. If he’s getting offers worth $15-16m a year potentially, you can’t do that. Equally, if Rashid Shaheed is going to get +$18m a year, you thank him for his services and move on.
It really could go either way with Coby Bryant. There are teams, such as the Jets, who are expected to target the safeties. They will likely have to pay a ‘come and play for the Jets’ tax. There are safeties in the draft but the depth is not like it is at cornerback or receiver.
I think Josh Jobe will return, securing one cornerback spot on the roster. They’ll need another — and this draft class is perfectly set up to address that, whether it’s in round one, two or three. They will have plenty of options.
Final thoughts
It’s pretty clear to anyone paying attention that the Seahawks were very much interested in Maxx Crosby. They couldn’t compete with the offer Baltimore made to the Raiders and that ended any hope of a ‘splashy’ off-season.
This isn’t a strong draft class and the options at #32 are not fantastic. Even so, I hope that pick isn’t burning a hole in their pocket. Trading for Crosby is one thing, it’s hard to think of a suitably impactful Plan B.
This could end up being a similar off-season to 2014, the last time the Seahawks were Super Bowl Champions. They managed to re-sign one big-ticket free agent (Michael Bennett) but lost another (Golden Tate). Breno Giacomini signed for the Jets and Brandon Browner departed for New England. Role players like Walter Thurmond, Clinton McDonald and Chris Maragos moved on. Sidney Rice retired and Chris Clemons was cut.
They didn’t really make any outside additions aside from Kevin Williams. This is because they knew they had a lot of players to pay in the future. Again, teams have to think about ‘cash’ not just ‘cap’. They face the same situation this year with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, having already secured Charles Cross.
Their draft class was fairly uneventful too. They traded down from #32, took Paul Richardson and Justin Britt in round two and their third selection, in round four, was Cassius Marsh.
That probably sounds pretty underwhelming on reflection. You might feel that way over the next few weeks too. My advice would be not to overreact.
Last year many people complained about the Geno Smith and DK Metcalf trades. They screamed bloody murder about the lack of a veteran O-line signing. People were suspicious of Sam Darnold and questioned the signings of ageing players like Cooper Kupp and DeMarcus Lawrence.
The Seahawks won the Super Bowl.
The Vikings, meanwhile, received rave reviews for their off-season work. They’re currently busy cutting most of their signings from a year ago or watching them retire, after regressing badly in 2025. Their GM was fired. Their 2025 off-season, looking back, was an unmitigated disaster.
The Seahawks have a good core of players. With Maxx Crosby no longer available, you’re probably not going to get a heavy metal off-season. And that’s fine.
