Analysis: Predicting How Seahawks’ 2026 Free Agency Period Will Unfold

Beginning their title defense a little over a month after capturing the Super Bowl LX crown, the Seattle Seahawks will have no shortage of challenging decisions to make with the start of a new league year on March 11 and other teams looking to steal several marquee players from their roster in free agency.

Will general manager John Schneider be able to keep most of Seattle’s big name free agents and run it back in 2026? Or will Ken Walker III, Rashid Shaheed, and others bolt with more lucrative opportunities elsewhere? And could a few big splashes be on tap supplementing the roster without outside free agents?

With the two-day legal tampering window opening at 9 AM PT on Monday, based on sourcing and educated guesses, here’s an in-depth prediction for how things will unfold for Schneider, Mike Macdonald, and the Seahawks during the free agency period:

• Getting big pay days elsewhere, Ken Walker III and Rashid Shaheed will help set the market at running back and receiver.

Two of the biggest stars in Seattle’s Super Bowl run, Walker and Shaheed may never see their stock be higher than it will be rolling into the new league year, and as a result, nobody should be surprised when offers from other teams vastly exceed what the Seahawks will be willing to pay. Among the teams that will be in on the Walker sweepstakes after the explosive back won Super Bowl MVP honors and scored four touchdowns in the postseason, the Chiefs, Giants, and Commanders have all been linked to him with ample money to spend and a significant need in the backfield for his talents, creating a healthy market that should push a contract towards the value of $14 million per year and as high as $15 or $16 million per year. As much as the Seahawks love K9, that’s far more expensive than Schneider would desire paying for a back with two 1,000-yard seasons in four years.

In the case of Shaheed, who Schneider acquired from the Saints for fourth and fifth-round picks in October, the speedy receiver/return specialist has been garnering plenty of interest from other teams leading up to free agency as well. Despite failing to hit 200 receiving yards in nine games with the Seahawks, his dynamic ability as a special teams weapon vaulted the team to an NFC West title and the No. 1 seed while also immediately busting the Divisional Round open against the 49ers. Teams will be interested in throwing big bucks at him for his return prowess alone, and even with him not having the numbers of a No. 1 receiver, his elite speed, home run capabilities as a downfield receiver, and utility in the run game will make him a coveted target. In particular, former Seahawks coordinator Klint Kubiak badly needs an infusion of speed and talent on the outside for the Raiders, making that a likely landing spot for as much as $18 million per year.

• Only one unsigned member of the Seahawks’ 2022 draft class will return to the Emerald City for a second contract.

Racing his way to a massive paycheck, Walker won’t be the only standout from Schneider’s heralded 2022 class who signs the dotted line to play for a new team next week. At the cornerback position, Riq Woolen will be highly coveted by numerous suitors due to his elite speed, size, and ball skills, and it wouldn’t be shocking at all if multiple teams offered him more than $15 million per year and turned the auction into a bidding war for a player who has been good, but not elite, for most of his four NFL seasons. Former second round pick Boye Mafe’s 2025 production (two sacks, four quarterback hits) doesn’t scream high profile free agent, but he’s only 27 years old and has previously approached the double digit sack mark, which should drum up enough interest for him to fetch a strong contract from pass rush-needy teams such as Las Vegas beyond Seattle’s budget to keep him.

While Woolen and Mafe likely won’t be back barring an unexpectedly suppressed market, the Seahawks have been working diligently in the days leading up to the legal tampering period to lock up safety Coby Bryant, who has been one of Macdonald’s favorite players since arriving two years ago. After finishing second on the team with four interceptions last season, Schneider and the front office have been putting on a full court press over the past 48 hours, and such initiative will yield a multi-year deal worth $9-10 million per year coming together before free agency begins. Inking up Bryant ensures Seattle will have its full arsenal of safeties for Macdonald to scheme with in 2026 and beyond.

• John Schneider will aggressively find replacements via free agency for Walker and an injured Zach Charbonnet.

Though Schneider won’t have interest in staying in a bidding war to keep Walker, that doesn’t mean Seattle won’t be active looking to spend money to address its backfield. Already monitoring several pending free agents leading up to the start of the new league year as a contingency plan for a potential Walker exit coupled with Charbonnet’s lengthy recovery from a torn ACL, after sniffing around on Jaguars star Travis Etienne, the Seahawks will dip into the second tier of runners to sign former Falcons reserve Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $14 million contract, bringing the hard-nosed rusher into the mix. The ex-BYU standout previously rushed for 1,000 yards as a rookie four years ago and has always been a stellar zone runner, making him a quality fit for coordinator Brian Fleury’s offense.

In addition to Allgeier, Seattle won’t be done adding veteran ball carriers, signing ex-Washington and San Francisco back Brian Robinson to a team-friendly one-year deal. Robinson played for Fleury, who served as the 49ers’ run game coordinator, and will provide another physical back to help carry the workload without Walker until Charbonnet returns. Neither of these signings will preclude the team from drafting a back in April, but with George Holani and Kenny McIntosh also back in the saddle, Schneider wouldn’t be forced to use one of his four picks on the position either.

• After exploring the trade market, Seattle will make a splash to upgrade the edge rushing group in free agency.

Before the Ravens ultimately coughed up two first round picks to acquire Maxx Crosby, the Seahawks had been linked to the All-Pro pass rusher, and Schneider has also connected with the Vikings about edge defender Jonathan Greenard’s availability. With limited draft capital, however, Seattle won’t pull the trigger on a deal, instead leaning on a solid free agent market to supplement an edge group that suddenly poses both short and long-term question marks. With Mafe departing and rumors of a potential Demarcus Lawrence retirement still making rounds, the franchise makes a strong push to sign Odafe Oweh, who previously played for Macdonald in Baltimore.

With multiple teams involved in the negotiations, Oweh is swayed by the chance to play for Macdonald and linebacker coach Zachary Orr again, ultimately signing a three-year, $56 million deal to bolster Seattle’s pass rush. In an additional move to create a bit more financial flexibility and provide insurance in case Lawrence does decide to hang up his cleats, Schneider extends Uchenna Nwosu through the 2028 season with a two-year, $20 million contract, front loading the deal with guaranteed money.

• Seattle will retain Josh Jobe alongside Devon Witherspoon, retool the cornerback group in April’s draft.

With Woolen fetching a big contract offer on the open market, the Seahawks could potentially lose two starting cornerbacks in free agency, but like Bryant, Jobe has a strong advocate in Macdonald sitting in his corner. Coming off a stellar season where he produced double-digit pass breakups and surrendered under a 56% completion rate in coverage in the regular season and playoffs, the team opts to invest once again in the former Alabama standout, signing him to a three-year, $23 million contract with incentives to push the deal to $26 million. While Schneider looks into other free agent possibilities, including Chiefs defender Jaylen Watson, the organization remains high on Nehemiah Pritchett and ultimately decides to pivot attention to the draft to bolster the position with this year’s class loaded with cornerback talent.

• All of Seattle’s restricted free agent crop will be retained, including Jake Bobo and Brandon Pili.

More times than not, Schneider has found ways to retain restricted free agents without having to use a right to first refusal tender or an even more expensive first or second-round tender, negotiating one or two-year deals such as the one linebacker Drake Thomas recently signed for two years, $8 million. From this year’s crop, Thomas seemed like the most likely to draw a tender, and with him now under contract, it would be a surprise if any other players receive one. Instead, after each player briefly tests the market, Bobo, Brady Russell, and Pili will all be brought back on one-year deals for less than the $3.2 million right of first refusal tender.

In addition, long snapper Chris Stoll will ink a three-year, $5 million contract, rewarding a key cog in Seattle’s special teams battery with kicker Jason Myers and punter Michael Dickson. Later down the line in free agency, the Seahawks will also bring back receiver Cody White and safety AJ Finley, who should return on near-veteran minimum deals for cheap depth at both positions.