Analysis: Free Agent Targets for Seahawks to Replace Boye Mafe, Key Departures
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Atlanta Falcons linebacker Arnold Ebiketie (17) rushes the passer against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images [/caption]
Paying the dreaded Super Bowl tax one month after defeating the New England Patriots to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, the Seattle Seahawks suffered substantial losses on the first two days of the NFL’s legal tampering period with four former starters departing for greener pastures.
Headlining the group of defectors from the defending champions, running back Ken Walker III quickly latched on with the Chiefs, securing a record-setting three-year contract worth $43 million, the largest deal ever handed to a free agent at the position. Hours later, safety Coby Bryant took his talents to Chicago with a three-year, $40 million contract to join the Bears and pass rusher Boye Mafe took advantage of a fruitful market by signing a three-year, $60 million deal with the Bengals.
After losing Walker, Bryant, and Mafe early in the first unofficial day of NFL free agency and Riq Woolen joining the departed on Tuesday by signing with the Eagles, how can general manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald restock the cupboard to help replace three quality contributors from Seattle’s title team?
Looking at each of the defectors respective positions split into tiers, here are several unsigned free agents the Seahawks could target as replacements with the first day of the league year coming on Wednesday:
Running Back
Tier 1: Rachaad White, Buccaneers; Brian Robinson Jr., 49ers
Tier 2: Najee Harris, Chargers
Tier 3: Keaton Mitchell, Ravens; Sean Tucker, Buccaneers
Out of all of the positions, running back may have been picked down the most on Monday, as teams went into aggressive mode after Walker kicked things off by signing with the Chiefs. In a matter of hours, Travis Etienne, Kenneth Gainwell, and Tyler Allgeier, who had previously been tied to the Seahawks to varying degrees, had already found new teams, rapidly draining the talent pool on the open market. By the end of the afternoon, Rico Dowdle and JK Dobbins came off the board, with the former joining the Steelers and the latter remaining with the Broncos on two-year deals.
With those six backs no longer available, the stockpile has been picked down substantially, leaving limited options for the Seahawks. But not much changed on the second day of tampering, which is a silver lining. White, a former starter in Tampa Bay who is equally effective as a receiver, may be the best free agent remaining on the market, and he’s coming off a down season where he rushed for just 572 yards and four touchdowns. Robinson, who started for two years in Washington, has never eclipsed 800 rushing yards in any of his four NFL seasons, but he did play for new Seattle offensive coordinator Brian Fleury in San Francisco last year and brings a physical, punishing style that fits how the team wants to play.
As far as wild cards go, Harris rattled off four straight 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh before an Achilles injury ended his season after just three games in Los Angeles last season. If he’s recovered from the severe injury, he could be a buy low candidate with plenty of upside given his track record, justifying a one-year prove it deal. The speedy Mitchell could help replace some of the explosive plays lost with Walker’s departure with a career 6.3 yards per carry average, but he’s under 190 pounds and would only be a change of pace option, not a starter. The 205-pound Tucker excelled in short yardage for the Bucs and would be a natural place holder for Charbonnet’s role until he returns as a cheap price.
Update: Tucker has been tendered by the Buccaneers as a restricted free agent.
EDGE/Defensive End
Tier 1: Jonathan Greenard, Vikings
Tier 2: Arnold Ebiketie, Falcons; AJ Epenesa, Bills; Tyree Wilson, Raiders
Tier 3: Von Miller, Commanders; Cameron Jordan, Saints
Compared to the running back position, while players like Mafe and Odafe Oweh received massive pay days, NFL teams will still have enticing options to potentially pursue on the first official day of free agency, On the trade market, rumors continue to swirl about the Vikings seeking a trade partner for Greenard, who had a down season statistically with just three sacks due to playing through a shoulder injury and underwent surgery in January. But he’s still under 30 years old and just one year removed from a second straight double-digit sack season, making him an intriguing replacement possibility for Mafe with a more well-rounded, consistent game. Depending on the price point, even with only four draft picks currently, the Seahawks could pounce with the defender still having two years remaining on his current contract.
There’s a significant dropoff after Greenard, but Schneider’s love for discount shopping should serve him well if he searches the right aisle. Back in 2022, it was well documented that Seattle had Ebiketie ahead of Mafe on the draft board, only for the Falcons to snatch him up in the second round with the Seahawks a few picks away from being on the clock themselves. Falling out of favor with the coaching staff, he only started three games last year with two sacks and six quarterback hits, but a change of scenery on a far superior defensive front could be just what he needs to rebound.
In the same wavelength, Wilson has yet to produce more than four sacks in a season for the Raiders, far from the numbers the franchise expected after investing a top-10 pick in him in the 2023 NFL Draft. But the former Texas Tech star still has youth on his side and could benefit immensely from a change of scenery, and with the Seahawks having already tried to land him last year as part of the Geno Smith trade and the Raiders now having Maxx Crosby back on the roster after a failed trade with the Ravens, a move flipping a Day 3 pick to Vegas to see if he can find his groove in the Pacific Northwest could make sense for both teams.
Rounding out other possibilities for the Seahawks to consider, Epenesa isn’t a flashy, twitchy pass rusher like Greenard or Ebiketie. But he can win off the edge with raw power and hand usage and before seeing a dip in production last year, he had at least six sacks in three consecutive seasons to go with stout run defense. At the tail end of their respective careers, Miller and Jordan aren’t elite talents anymore, but both players had at least nine sacks last year, showing they still have enough juice to help a contender as they seek one last shot to pursue a Super Bowl ring.
Safety
Tier 1: Jaquan Brisker, Bears; Nick Cross, Colts
Tier 2: Geno Stone, Bengals; Taylor Rapp, Bills
Tier 3: D’Anthony Bell, Panthers; Ashtyn Davis, Jets
In the aftermath of Bryant’s departure, the Seahawks might not be interested in spending much money for an additional safety, as Ty Okada lies in the wings as a more than capable successor after impressing in 11 starts as an injury replacement last season. But at the same time, Macdonald places great value on the position and loves to have as much depth as possible there for full utilization of nickel, dime, and bandit packages with five or more defensive backs on the field, and there certainly remain options available to bolster the group.
If Seattle wants to double down and amplify a clear area of strength, Schneider could pull off an unofficial player-for-player swap by pursuing Brisker, a versatile 26-year-old safety who can stuff the run, blitz, and cover from both safety positions. With his youth and starting experience, however, that would seem to be a luxury signing out of the team’s budget. Cross, who still is only 24 years old after four NFL seasons, may be a better alternative from a price standpoint, as he also has some slot snaps in his repertoire and checks off the boxes as a quality all-around player who can blitz and thump ball carriers in the run game.
Among the next tier of players available, Stone enjoyed a breakout year playing for Macdonald in Baltimore, turning seven interceptions in 2023 into a multi-year contract with the Bengals. However, his coverage numbers dipped significantly in Cincinnati and he has struggled to finish tackles throughout his time in the NFL, which would seem to make him a poor fit to reunite with his former coach. Rapp, a Washington Husky alum, only played in six games due to injury last season before being cut by Buffalo and has been more of a coverage liability in recent seasons, but he’s experienced at both safety spots and he’s a heady player who could be a reclamation project candidate.
Update: Cross has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Commanders.
On the bargain bin front, Bell spent most of the 2025 season with Seattle before being claimed off waivers by Carolina, and he contributed a sack and a blocked punt in limited playing time. If he has interest in coming back to the Pacific Northwest, a reunion would make sense and wouldn’t be cost prohibitive. Formerly a starter for the Jets, Davis had a tough season with the Dolphins last year and may have to wait a while to land with a new team, but he does have stellar numbers playing the football in coverage over his career when healthy and had five interceptions and four pass breakups with only one touchdown allowed in 2023 and 2024.
Cornerback
Tier 1: Trevon Diggs, Packers; Marshon Lattimore, Commanders
Tier 2: Cam Taylor-Britt, Bengals; Roger McCreary, Rams
Tier 3: Jalyn Armour-Davis, Titans; Derion Kendrick, Rams
Similar to running back, the vultures have picked apart the cornerback group already with most of the noteworthy names on the market already signing with new teams, and the two biggest stars remaining available don’t come without major questions. Diggs wore out his welcome in Dallas with questions about his desire to play coming off an injury and he spent a few minutes in Green Bay after being released, playing in two regular season and playoff games combined. But he has All-Pro pedigree with 20 career interceptions and still is just 27 years old, so someone will eventually take a chance on his talent and he could be a worthwhile reclamation project from a team like the Seahawks, though character questions would be in play.
As for Lattimore, the four-time Pro Bowler may be past his best years as he approaches his 30th birthday and he’s recovering from a torn ACL suffered midway through the 2025 season. There’s a chance that he won’t be signing with anyone until later in the offseason due to the injury, while there have been murmurs of him pondering retirement. If he plans to continue playing, however, it’s possible that he could be looked at by the Seahawks as a stop gap one-year deal possibility leading up to or after the 2026 NFL Draft.
Former starters who fell out favor with their original teams, Taylor-Britt and McCreary have youth on their side and should be affordable to bring on board on one or two-year contracts. Britt intercepted seven passes over the 2023 and 2024 seasons and had 13 pass breakups in the latter year, so he’s always had a knack for finding the football, though giving up big plays led to him being benched by the Bengals last season. McCrary brings more of a junkyard dawg mentality to the equation, previously eclipsing 80 tackles in each of his first two seasons, and can play on the boundary and in the slot. But his coverage production has been hit and miss and he lacks the big plays in the interception and pass breakups department. Either player would be a bit of a shot in the dark to see if a change of scenery could rejuvenate their respective careers.
Depth-wise, Armour-Davis previously played for Macdonald in Baltimore, so that familiarity could make him worth a flier to compete for a roster spot and playing time against the likes of Nehemiah Pritchett. Kendrick played in a handful of games for the Seahawks early in the 2025 season, intercepting two passes as an injury replacement for Devon Witherspoon, but he returned to the Rams after being waived midway through the season and there may be poor feelings on how things ended, making a reunion unlikely.
