The Seattle Seahawks face a San Francisco 49ers team in the Divisional Round that has no business being there. Not that the 49ers aren't good because they are, but they've struggled with injuries. They are dangerous, and should Seattle struggles, some changes might occur.
One of those might be watching fan-favorite edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu play his last down with the team. Thankfully, Nwosu, who is an even better human being than he is a player, has been healthy in 2025. He missed just one game after missing 11 in each of the previous two seasons.
He has also been productive. His seven sacks are the second-best number of his career. His seven tackles for loss are his third-best. But he will also be 30 years old when 2026 begins, and his cap hit of $20,018,334 is the third-highest on the team. He is a very good player, but he is also part of an edge rush rotation.
Uchenna Nwosu could be playing his final game for the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round
Is he worth keeping on the team? Without question. But Seattle would save $11.4 million by releasing him, which could potentially pay the entire salary for Boye Mafe to return. Mafe is a free agent in 2026 and is a couple of years younger than Nwosu, with far fewer reps in the league.
Or Seattle, which has the fourth-most cap room in the NFL in 2026 ($69,936,458), could sign Mafe anyway, and potentially spend any savings from moving on from Nwosu on a player like Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Joseph Ossai. Ossai was on a terrible defense this season, though that isn't his fault. He would likely explode in Mike Macdonald's scheme.
Ossai will also be just 26 years old in 2026, and unlikely to get a big raise from the cheap Bengals. Singing Ossai, re-signing Mafe, and still having Derick Hall under contract through at least 2026 would give the Seattle Seahawks one of the youngest and explosive edge rush groups in the league.
Again, keeping Uchenna Nwosu would be ideal, but his cap hit is a bigger value than his raw production in 2025. His injury history might also be a bit worrisome. General manager John Schneider will take all that into account when reviewing what to do this offseason.
Or maybe Nwosu has a huge postseason for the Seattle Seahawks, doesn't have to worry about the 49ers game being his last, and makes bringing him back a non-starter. Maybe Seattle spends some of its cap room on Mafe and Ossai, too. After all, a team cannot have too many elite edge rushers.