Seahawks Analysis: Which 2022 Draftees Could Receive Contract Extensions This Offseason?
Overhauling their roster in a transformational offseason, the Seattle Seahawks will move forward without Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, or Tyler Lockett in 2025, starting over on offense while opening up significant salary cap space to help with fortifying the roster around several newcomers, including Sam Darnold under center and Cooper Kupp coming home to help offset losses at receiver.
While fans hoped to see Seattle be a bit more active addressing its offensive line, general manager John Schneider hasn’t made any splashes on that front despite bringing in as many as six players for free agent visits this month, opting for a more patient, frugal approach after the initial wave of free agency. Following an accepted pay cut by edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, the team still has cap space to work with, but that flexibility may not be utilized for signing more outside free agents and instead be reserved for extending a few of their own players now eligible for second contracts.
Looking at the Seahawks’ 2022 draft class, including former top-10 pick Charles Cross and Pro Bowler Riq Woolen, which players have the best chance to receive a lucrative extension this offseason? Here’s a close look at why each of the seven remaining draftees from that class will be extended, why they won’t be, and a prediction for how the organization will proceed with their respective contracts:
Charles Cross
Why He’ll Be Extended: Still only 24 years old, Cross has made steady improvements in his first three seasons while playing for multiple offensive line coaches. Though he still allowed six sacks last season, he improved his pass protection efficiency rate by half a percent compared to 2023 and he received the best run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus (77.9) of his career, ranking 14th out of 53 qualified tackles. Interestingly, he scored more favorably on gap runs than zone runs, but he still had a 70.0-plus grade on zone concepts. With his natural athletic tools, he should be an excellent fit for new coordinator Klint Kubiak’s zone-heavy scheme, providing an opportunity for a breakout fourth season.
Why He Won’t Be Extended: While his production has negatively been impacted by issues on the rest of the offensive line and his pressure numbers went up last season due to increased pass protection reps, Cross has yet to take the big step expected from a top-10 pick to emerge as a top-tier tackle. He still ranked among the NFL’s worst allowing 47 pressures and six sacks in 2023 and from a consistency standpoint, he hasn’t made large enough strides against rushers who win with power, which has been the main factor behind never posting higher than a 96 percent pass block efficiency rate. Without the consistency aspect checked off, it’s tough to envision Seattle being eager to hand him top-10 or top-15 tackle money on an extension.
Prediction: As indicated from sources on the ground in Indianapolis at the NFL combine, all signs point to Schneider making the rare move to pick up a fifth-year option for Cross, something he has only done one other time (Noah Fant) in his previous 15 seasons with the organization. His cost won’t be as expensive as it could have been since he hasn’t been selected to a Pro Bowl, but he would still be in line to earn $17.56 million in 2026, which would be the 12th highest cap hit among left tackles. At that price point, the Seahawks could feasibly go into the next season with him playing out the fifth year of his deal, but Schneider likely will exercise the option as a means to extend the window for a long-term deal. Based on his youth and remaining upside, the team should be motivated to get him a new deal as a foundational piece for the offensive line.
Boye Mafe
Why He’ll Be Extended: Following a relatively quiet rookie season that ended with just three sacks in a reserve role, Mafe has demonstrated marked improvement over the past two campaigns with a more polished game, eclipsing 47 pressures and six sacks in both seasons. When he hasn’t been able to get to the quarterback, he has been Seattle’s most effective defender at sticking his paws up into passing lanes to swat passes down, generating six deflections since 2023. Coming into the league with relatively low expectations as a run defender, he has been a pleasant surprise in that aspect setting a firm edge as well, ranking 11th out of 63 qualified edge defenders (77.8) according to PFF grades with 25 combined tackles.
Why He Won’t Be Extended: While Mafe’s sack numbers have been pretty good over the past two seasons, he has yet to find the consistency the Seahawks were hoping for from him as a pass rusher after three full seasons in the league. Aside from ranking a pedestrian 31st in pressures among edge defenders last season, he ranked a dismal 46th in pass rush win rate (11 percent), down a full two percent from his sophomore season. He also has left far too many plays on the field, particularly letting quarterbacks slip away from him too many times in the pocket, contributing to a 17.6 percent missed tackle rate.
Prediction: Mafe may present one of the tougher decisions for Schneider as he weighs which players he wants to prioritize contract extensions for, as he has clearly taken his game to another level the past two years but hasn’t emerged as a top-10 edge defender either. As is always the case with contracts, asking price will be the deciding factor, and though it’s possible the Seahawks could sign him to a three or four-year extension, such a deal likely won’t happen until after the 2025 season, as they may be hesitant to invest big money in him at one of the NFL’s priciest positions until they have seen another great season of production in Macdonald’s defense.
Ken Walker III
Why He’ll Be Extended: When healthy, even with all of the blocking issues that he has dealt with in front of him, Walker has been as dynamic of a playmaker as any back in the league. During his rookie season, he ranked in the top 10 in 10-plus yard runs (29), designed runs of 15-plus yards (17), breakaway run percentage (45.8 percent), and missed tackles forced (48). Even as his overall numbers dipped in 2023, he still ranked among the top 10 in missed tackles forced and 10-plus yard runs that season as well. He has also been quite consistent as a pass catcher, reeling in 102 receptions and posting an 85 percent catch rate during his first three seasons in Seattle.
Why He Won’t Be Extended: Due to the limited shelf life at the position, running backs don’t receive lucrative second contracts as much as most position groups in the NFL and unfortunately, Walker has had trouble staying available due to a myriad of injuries, which has contributed to declines in production each of the past two seasons. Between ankle and knee issues, he missed six games last season, and he missed a pair of games in the season prior. As a three-down back, his struggles in pass protection have limited how much the Seahawks can keep him on the field on third downs and in two-minute situations, which also could play into hesitancy to commit significant money on a new contract.
Prediction: Possessing elite speed and quickness, Walker’s skill set lends itself better to Kubiak’s system than the one he struggled in with Ryan Grubb calling the shots, so that change by itself could be the right recipe for a strong bounce back season with a marginally better offensive line in front of him. He also stands to benefit as a pass catcher with the team trying to replace production lost by the departures of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Like Mafe, it seems unlikely Schneider will rush to the negotiating table to extend the back this summer given the injuries and diminished production the past two years, but if he can return to his rookie form as the featured weapon in Seattle’s resurrected ground game, a new deal could come down the pipe after the 2025 season.
Abraham Lucas
Why He’ll Be Extended: When Lucas has been in the lineup, the Seahawks have had a much better all-around offense. During his rookie season when he started 16 out of 17 games, Walker exploded for over 1,100 rushing yards and Geno Smith benefited from his presence as a pass blocker with a respectable 96.9 pass block efficiency rate. Following a lost sophomore season where he wasn’t healthy in the six games he played in, his return from knee surgery last November not coincidentally coincided with Seattle’s run game finding life down the stretch, as the team averaged 97 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry in the seven games that he started. They posted a 5-2 record in those games as well.
Why He Won’t Be Extended: When it comes to Lucas’ viability as a long-term starter with the Seahawks, durability remains the biggest question mark. The former Washington State standout and Everett native has missed 21 regular season games the past two seasons due to knee trouble, and while video evidence suggests he’s fully healthy for the first time in two years as he trains this offseason, that track record makes it a lot tougher to stomach a pricy extension due to the inherent risk of extending a player with persistent knee injuries.
Prediction: If there’s a potential silver lining for the Seahawks, Lucas’ durability issues are well-documented enough that other teams likely won’t be throwing big guaranteed dollars at him on the free agent market. The two sides could discuss an extension this summer under the premise of a more incentive-laden deal to keep him in the Pacific Northwest and guard against future injuries. But he will have to prove he can stay healthy before Seattle - and any other team for that matter - will be willing to shell out a large sum of guaranteed money as he enters the final year of his rookie deal and it seems waiting and seeing is the best course of action for the franchise with him right now.
Coby Bryant
Why He’ll Be Extended: Making the transition from cornerback to safety with relative ease, Bryant surfaced as one of Seattle’s best stories in 2024, pulling a Wally Pipp by stealing Rayshawn Jenkins’ starting job when the veteran went down with a broken hand. After jumping into the lineup primarily as a free safety in single and two-high schemes, he intercepted a trio of passes, including a pick-six in a home win over Arizona, to go with three pass breakups while posting a strong 75.9 passer rating against in coverage. He also made positive contributions to a vastly improved run defense in the second half, finishing with 68 combined tackles and two forced fumbles, looking the part of a possible long-term starter.
Why He Won’t Be Extended: Bryant has dealt with a couple of injuries during his first three NFL seasons, which made his sophomore year an unofficial redshirt shirt campaign playing in just six games. He has been inconsistent at best as a tackler since coming into the league, as PFF charged him with north of a 10 percent missed tackle rate each of the past three seasons.
Prediction: Since Bryant only has a partial season of starting experience at safety, one may insinuate that the Seahawks need to see more from him at a position that he’s still relatively new to before offering a multi-year contract. But Macdonald holds the converted corner in the highest regard, frequently bringing up his name unprompted last summer for his practice habits and work ethic. If anything, his lack of starts at safety should help keep his contract at a reasonable price point, and if Schneider wants to play chess instead of checkers, it’d be smart to discuss an extension this summer to lock him up alongside Julian Love for at least the next two seasons and solidify the safety position on defense.
Riq Woolen
Why He’ll Be Extended: When Woolen plays fully locked in and focused, few cornerbacks have been better over the past three years. As a rookie, he led his position group with six interceptions to earn Pro Bowl distinction, and though he wasn’t as consistent in 2023 or 2024, he still ranked in the top 10 among cornerbacks in interceptions (three) and forced incompletion rate (16 percent) while being just outside the top-10 in completion rate allowed. Not yet 26 years old, he possesses an extremely rare size, speed, and ball skills combination and letting him walk to another team with untapped upside would be incredibly risky, even with Devon Witherspoon nearing his extension window a year from now.
Why He Won’t Be Extended: Though Woolen has been incredibly productive getting his hands on the football for interceptions and pass breakups, he has been far from perfect in coverage, allowing 14 touchdown receptions in three seasons. He has had a tendency for an occasional focus letdown or busted coverage, and adding in a career 18 percent missed tackle rate, that has led to him being benched briefly at one point each of the past two years. Macdonald wants reliable players on the field who won’t make mental mistakes and always play zoned in with toughness and physicality, and to this stage, despite being as gifted as any corner in the sport, such consistency in both areas has yet to be achieved.
Prediction: Cornerbacks have been cashing in during this free agency period, including Derek Stingley - a member of the same draft class as Woolen - becoming the highest-paid player at the position earlier this month. Woolen has posted comparable numbers with the same interception total (11), more tackles, and more forced fumbles/fumble recoveries than his counterpart, but he has also surrendered five more touchdowns in coverage and had far more trouble finishing tackles. There’s risk when it comes to letting him play out his rookie contract, as a monster 2025 season could push him beyond Seattle’s ability to pay, especially with Witherspoon set to get paid next year. But paying him big bucks right now may also be viewed as irresponsible with his inconsistent performance and still yet to be fully developed fundamentals, making him a true 50/50 proposition for an extension now.
Dareke Young
Why He’ll Be Extended: Despite very limited contributions on offense, Young has been one of Seattle’s best special teams players when healthy over the past three years, recording 13 combined tackles on kick and punt coverage. He also has a fun set of athletic traits that have previously not been capitalized upon on offense, but could be a better fit in Kubiak’s system, particularly with the departures of Metcalf and Lockett opening up more potential opportunities.
Why He Won’t Be Extended: In three seasons, Young has been targeted a grand total of three times in the passing game with two catches for 24 yards as a irrelevant non-factor on offense. He also hasn’t pitched in as a kick or punt returner, failing to add another dimension to his special teams game.
Prediction: Unless Young becomes a bigger part of Seattle’s passing game in the aftermath of Metcalf and Lockett leaving, which remains a big if, there’s little reason to consider a multi-year extension for him and he’s not going to be a priority to give a new contract right now. However, next spring, assuming he continues to be an impact player on special teams and finds a way to claw into a more consistent rotational role on offense, it’s not out of the question he could be a candidate to bring back on a one-year contract at a team-friendly price.
