The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks don't have many roster issues heading into the 2026 season, but next offseason could be trickier. The team will likely need to start working on a new deal for quarterback Sam Darnold, and some aging, yet productive, veterans will have situations that need to be addressed.
That includes defensive lineman Leonard Williams, a player who has had a career worthy of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but might never get in because he was overshadowed by some terrible teams that he played on. He's definitely helped Seattle be better, though, and fans will always be appreciative of that.
But Williams will also turn 32 years old before the season begins. The question is whether the team should offer him a lucrative extension. ESPN's Aaron Schatz says yes, but with a caveat.
Leonard Williams could be entering his final season with the Seattle Seahawks
"The Seahawks need to be careful here," wrote Schatz, "because Williams will be 32 this season and there might be a decline coming soon. However, he's still playing at a high level, with seven sacks last season. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2025. According to ESPN Research, he has drawn a double-team on 66.6% of pass-rush snaps, fourth among all interior defensive linemen. Williams' contract voids in 2027, making him Seattle's biggest free agent for next offseason. Why not get him in for another couple of seasons right now?"
Williams is also part of an overall concern beginning to bloom for the Seahawks. While he has been terrific and very well could be again in 2026, no team can wait too long to address getting younger at crucial positions. Besides the defensive line, Seattle is also getting old fast at edge rusher.
Williams and Jarran Reed are both past 30 years old along the defensive line, and at the edge, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler, and Uchenna Nwosu will all be 30 or older in 2027. Not that those players can't be productive, of course, but aging players will offer diminished results faster than younger ones.
The positive part is that along the defensive line, the Seattle Seahawks also have Byron Murphy II and Rylie Mills. Mills, for instance, could have a breakout season in 2026. Murphy is already living up to his first-round draft selection, and he will probably get an extension offer next offseason. The team could also pick up his fifth-year option for 2028.
Edge rusher is more of a worry. Derick Hall was extended this offseason, but what Seahawks fans see with the group this season could be drastically different in 2027. Seattle will need to make the position a priority in next year's draft.
The hope when it comes to Leonard Williams, obviously, is that he will once again be a force along Seattle's defensive line and earn at least one more year beyond 2026. Or, he could get injured, which means he could be entering the final season of his career with the Seahawks.
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