The Seattle Seahawks are one win away from claiming their second Super Bowl win in franchise history. While many NFL analysts doubted that Seattle would be good after trading Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, while signing Sam Darnold, Mike Macdonald's team proved them wrong.
Every offseason sees some attrition, though. Seattle has a good and young roster, but it also has a number of key players whose rookie deals are almost up. The team can either re-sign them or watch them walk away. It's a simple process.
All of that means that some good players for the Seahawks currently might not play for the team again after the Super Bowl. They will get rich signing elsewhere, especially if they help Seattle win a championship. Other teams will want some of that good play and great karma, too.
These four Seattle Seahawks might be playing their final game with the team in Super Bowl LX
Running back Kenneth Walker III
Walker has likely increased his asking price in free agency with his playoff excellence, but he did the same in the regular season by showing he could stay healthy for a full year. The question about the running back wasn't that he couldn't be productive, but that he couldn't stay healthy.
The hope, of course, is that the team re-signs Walker. Zach Charbonnet, Seattle's RB2, tore his ACL in the Divisional Round and could miss the start of next year. Losing Walker could leave Seattle without its top two backs in 2025. That shouldn't happen. Walker also might not command as much as $10 million a season in a new deal, and the Seahawks can afford that.
Edge rusher Boye Mafe
Mafe is an odd case. His raw statistics took a major drop this season, but he was ranked eighth in terms of pass-rush win-rate among all NFL edge rushers, according to ESPN. While he wasn't getting home for sacks, he was clearly winning his blocks, which helped his teammates have the freedom to get quarterback pressure.
Mafe hasn't yet had double-digit sacks in a season, and maybe he never will. He could be a better fit among a group of quality edge rushers instead of someone who doesn't need help to be disruptive. That could lower his asking price. Still, he is a great fit in Mike Macdonald's defense, and hopefully returns. The team just shouldn't overpay for him.
Cornerback Riq Woolen
What to do about Woolen is probably one of the bigger questions general manager John Schneider has this offseason. The cornerback is 6'4" with tons of speed, but his mercurual attititude is difficult to deal with. His 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in the NFC Championship game likely kept the Los Angeles Rams in the game.
Worse, when Woolen does get called for a penalty, he often has a poor play in coverage shortly thereafter. It happened in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers and against the Rams. For all his physical skill, the Seahawks can probably find a safer bet in the NFL draft or free agency than Riq Woolen.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp
Kupp is still under contract for two more years with Seattle, and the team is very unlikely to release him. While his highly productive years are long behind him, his leadership skills are needed on the Seattle Seahawks.
The wide receiver will be 33 years old at the start of the 2026 season, though, and a Washington native. If Seattle wins the Super Bowl, Kupp could simply choose to call it a career and go out on top. That is the dream of many athletes, and 12s will see if that is Kupp's dream, too.