The Seattle Seahawks do not normally franchise tag players. The team has recently been good at signing players before their contracts are set to end or making tough decisions and letting players under contract go. As Seattle has a good reputation in the league for how it treats players, there have been relatively few contract negotiations that have been extremely tense.
In 2025, the Seahawks are not going to franchise tag anyone. The team's most valuable free agents are linebacker Ernest Jones IV and defensive tackle Jarran Reed, and neither of those guys is worth placing the tag on. That would increase their salaries past the dollar value where Seattle is likely comfortable trying to re-sign them.
That could all change in 2026, however. Seattle will have several key players whose contracts will be ending. Thankfully, one of those is not left tackle Charles Cross as the Seahawks have an option year on him in 2026. The same cannot be said of running back Kenneth Walker III and edge rusher Boye Mafe.
Seattle Seahawks might have to make a decision whether to franchise tag a player next offseason
Walker was a bit too injured in 2024 to make the kind of impact he or the team wanted, but he has flashed enough explosive ability in his three-year career to imply he could be a top back in the league if he was given the ball more when healthy. He can also catch the ball well and hasn't been used effectively in that manner either.
The good news for the running back (and hopefully, the Seahawks offense) is that new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is much more likely to implement an effective scheme to run the ball. Should Walker stay healthy, he could have his best season in the league in 2025 and rank as a top-five back. If that happens, Seattle might choose to franchise tag him if an extension cannot be worked out first.
Running backs are projected to have the second-lowest franchise tag value this offseason (only ahead of a pure special teams player) at $13,629,000. That value would definitely be a great increase for Walker, but that number is also not going to break the Seahawks next offseason.
Mafe is a different story. He hasn't quite yet truly exploded in his three years, but he could be capable of 10+ sacks in a season while playing stout run defense. If an extension cannot be worked out with him, his franchise tag value is going to be much higher than Walker's. This offseason, the projected tag value is $25,156,000 for an outside linebacker/edge rusher.
That means Mafe could be gone after 2025 unless an extension is worked out. He has been a good player, but not one worth $25 million a season. Not yet anyway. He does have 2025 to prove he is worth that much, though.
Other players besides Mafe and Walker, whose rookie deals are up after 2025 include right tackle Abraham Lucas, cornerback Riq Woolen, and safety Coby Bryant. None of those players are likely to be franchise-tagged. Neither is veteran quarterback Geno Smith, whose current deal is through 2025, too.