Riq Woolen has had it easy. The Seattle Seahawks, and their home nestled in the Pacific Northwest, are relatively player-friendly. We forgive those who can't forgive themselves, but for Woolen, he is about to enter absolute Hell by agreeing to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Woolen was a free agent, of course, free to sign anywhere he pleased. He might have forgotten that general manager John Schneider and the Seattle organization gave him a chance to play. He was a fifth-round pick in 2022, and he has now earned a bunch of money. At least in the short term.
Woolen's new home might be his worst. He is going to a fan base that will not give two flings of the feathers whether he makes three great plays followed by one wretched decision. This is what Philly fans should expect. For much of any game and any season, Woolen is going to be solid and intercept a pass or three, but then he will do something brutal.
Former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen signs with the Philadelphia Eagles
He does this in the most important of moments. This happened in Week 1 of this past season when Seattle was on the precipice of beating the San Francisco 49ers, only to allow a deep conversion on San Fran's last meaningful drive and then a touchdown later. Woolen was almost single-handedly the reason Seattle lost.
Even in the blowout that was Super Bowl LX, Woolen received a taunting flag on one play, only to give up a touchdown pass on the next. These are the kinds of crimes that Eagles fans will not forgive as easily as Seahawks fans. Woolen will be booed often, not something he had to suffer at Lumen Field.
Can his fragile psyche stand that? The choice is up to him. The Seattle Seahawks likely knew they were moving on from the moody cornerback. This is why the team chose to prioritize signing Josh Jobe over Riq Woolen. Jobe, while temperamental, is more consistent than Woolen.
As for the human being that Riq Woolen is, let's hope the Philadelphia Eagles fans don't eat him up like Sunday brunch. He is good at coverage but gets his feelings hurt far too often. That won't hold up well in Philly.