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# Free Agent Primer: Will Seahawks Lock Up Riq Woolen Long-Term in Secondary?
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/free-agent-primer-seattle-seahawks-riq-woolen-long-term-secondary/
- Published: 2026-02-25T22:12:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:53:41.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Riq Woolen, NFL Free Agency

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2866"\]

![  Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) in action against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27767235-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) in action against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

After climbing back to the NFL’s mountaintop by winning Super Bowl LX, the Seattle Seahawks have no shortage of big decisions to make this offseason as they begin their title defense, starting with the free agency period.

With a new league year slated to kick off on March 11, the Seahawks have nine unrestricted free agents scheduled to test the market along with seven restricted free agents and two exclusive rights free agents. Compared to prior seasons, general manager John Schneider has more financial flexibility at his disposal with OverTheCap.com listing the franchise as sixth in available effective cap space ($62 million), but with several big name stars in line for extensions such as All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the team won’t be able to keep everyone after running the table to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Over the next several weeks, using statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, I will break down each and every one of the Seahawks' unrestricted free agents by revisiting their 2025 seasons, assessing why they should or should not be re-signed, breaking down an ideal contract, and making an early prediction on whether or not the player will return in 2026.

Though his production in the defensive backfield proved to be a bit too feast or famine at times over the past four seasons, Riq Woolen has easily been one of Seattle’s best late round success stories. Will the next chapter remain with the Seahawks? Or will he head to greener pastures in free agency?

### 2025 in Review

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Woolen didn’t get off to the start he or Seattle hoped for, as he allowed the game-winning touchdown reception to 49ers tight end Jake Tonges in the season opener after drawing two big penalties earlier in the contest. After being flagged six times in the first four games, Mike Macdonald started to hand over more of his reps to Josh Jobe in an unofficial benching of sorts. But after that point, though he only intercepted one pass - a career-low - he allowed just two touchdowns for the remainder of the regular season, ranking second among qualified cornerbacks allowing just 8.7 yards per reception and finishing in the top 25 in passer rating against (78.5). After playing well in the Divisional Round, the playoffs were a different story, as a taunting penalty followed up by a long touchdown catch yielded to Puka Nacua nearly derailed the team’s NFC Championship hopes and he surrendered three touchdowns in coverage in the final two games of Seattle’s Super Bowl run.

### Why Seattle Will Re-Sign Woolen

Productivity-wise, Woolen has been quite fantastic in four NFL seasons as a former unheralded fifth-round pick, as he racked up 12 interceptions and 38 pass breakups during that time while allowing under a 56% completion rate in three of those four campaigns. His presence on the boundary has largely taken away the deep ball with his ability to be able to prevent separation as well as have the recovery speed to make up space in a hurry to get his long arms into passing windows for deflections. He also demonstrated impressive improvement bringing down ball carriers down the stretch, missing just one tackle in Seattle’s last nine games, showing he could play to the style demanded by Macdonald from his corners.

Beyond his numbers, offering a one-of-a-kind combination of size and athleticism at 6-4 with sub-4.30 speed as well as receiver ball skills from his time previously playing on offense at UTSA, Woolen somehow doesn’t feel like anything close to a finished product. He came into the league viewed as a raw prospect with only two years of defense under his belt with the Roadrunners and those incredible traits allowed him to find instant success, but he’s still growing as a player. Macdonald may want to see that through and allowing a talent of that magnitude to exit stage left carries a tremendous amount of risk by opting to likely replace him with an incoming rookie.

### Why Seattle Will Let Woolen Walk

At times in his first four seasons, Woolen has played at an elite level, providing All-Pro quality production in spurts. But his inconsistencies in coverage and as a tackler have been both vexing and frustrating for the Seahawks, leading to brief benchings in each of the past three years under the direction of two different coaching staffs. Early in his career, such mistakes were expected due to how green he was with limited cornerback snaps on his resume, but the continued struggles with penalties, occasional coverage meltdowns that allow explosive plays, and roller coaster tackling have prevented him from taking the big step forward as an all-around player that the organization envisioned when he received Defensive Rookie of the Year votes in 2022\. Questions about discipline persist, at least on the field, which fails to check off a major box for Macdonald and what he demands from his players.

Given his immense physical tools, Woolen could fetch a massive bag on the open market from other teams if he hits free agency. Knowing the player better than other teams, while he has been a quality presence in the locker room and beloved by teammates, Schneider may not be willing to entertain paying $15 million or more per year for a talented starter who has been saddled at times by incredibly uneven performance, especially with star Devon Witherspoon now eligible for his own extension as a foundational piece to re-sign in the secondary.

### Ideal Contract

Three years, $37 million

### Prediction

Much like his inconsistent play, Woolen’s value on the market may be the most unpredictable to gauge for Seattle heading into the free agent period. On one hand, there isn’t another cornerback in the league who can match his size, track speed, and ball skills, and when he’s been right, he has been one of the best in the business creating turnovers and representing a no-fly zone to one side of the field. On the contrary, however, he hasn’t always performed with full confidence and even four seasons into his NFL journey, there remain signs of inexperience technique-wise at a position he’s still relatively new to. Drawing flags in bunches and going through extended ruts as a tackler in run support has unfortunately become part of the package to go with his high interception and pass breakup totals.

For the Seahawks, being able to bring back Woolen would be ideal, as letting his rare tool box and skill set out of the building would have the potential to blow up in their faces if he puts everything together elsewhere. But with Witherspoon’s lucrative extension waiting in the wings and Jobe also set to test the market as a potentially cheaper alternative to re-sign, Schneider could be hamstrung in terms of what he can pay for a talented, albeit inconsistent, starter in comparison to what other teams may be able to throw at him. If the two sides don’t strike a deal before free agency kicks off of March 11, it’s hard to envision several other teams not throwing the bag at him for his tools and Pro Bowl pedigree, and while that may not necessarily eliminate Seattle from the discussion, if the contract exceeds the $13-14 million per year rate, it would be a surprise if he isn’t wearing another uniform next season.

**Previous Free Agent Primers**: [Ken Walker III](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/free-agent-primer-ken-walker-seattle-seahawks-open-up-checkbook)