General manager John Schneider has a huge question to ask about his Seattle Seahawks: How close does he feel the team is to being a real competitor? Schneider knows what a Super Bowl contender looks like. He was working for Seattle when the team went to back-to-back championship games.
The question comes with lots of different tentacles. If Schneider thinks this year could be special, he might decide to make a couple of preseason moves that change the roster. He has done it before with trades involving Jamal Adams, Jadeveon Clowney, and Duane Brown. Nothing can be ruled out with the Seahawks.
Many NFL pundits might not see Seattle as a potential contender, but what happens if the team traded for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has had back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals? Potentially, pundits see Seattle in a different way.
Due to the Steelers extending T.J. Watt, the Seattle Seahawks have a huge question to ask themselves
But things just got more complicated with any potential Hendrickson trade. That is because T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers was, like Hendrickson, unhappy with his contract situation. As of Thursday, he has to be one of the happiest players in the NFL. Pittsburgh and Watt agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension that includes $108M fully guaranteed.
Watt is about 50 days older than Hendrickson, so Hendrickson should expect the kind of money Watt just received. If John Schneider had any ideas for trading for Hendrickson, he is smart enough to know that, due to the Watt contract, if the Seahawks acquire the Bengals' edge rusher, Seattle is going to be paying a lot of money to the edge rusher in 2026 through 2028.
Seattle's edge rusher top-four rotation currently includes Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, and DeMarcus Lawrence. If the Bengals are smart, and that is questionable, if they do send Hendrickson to the Seahawks, then Cincinnati should want one of Seattle's edge rushers. Most likely, that would be Mafe.
He seemingly hasn't yet reached his ceiling, but he is capable of at least nine sacks in a season. He is only 26 years old, and he is a free agent in 2026. Schneider has a dilemma. Potentially move Mafe, who could be set for a breakout season in 2025, to get Hendrickson, who is now 30 years old. Or the Seahawks could stand pat and risk losing Mafe in free agency next year.
Any move for Trey Hendrickson would need to happen before the season, and possibly during training camp. Adding him makes a very good Seahawks defense elite. But how much to give up for him? Is letting Mafe leave worth it? Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has some tough questions to answer.