The Seattle Seahawks have just one game left to play this season, and then the team has a lot of financial decisions to make. The team has no cap room in the coming offseason, so some veterans will need to be let go. Others, however, like the ones below, have actually outplayed their deals this season.
Two of the players will be back. The third could be as well, but likely not at the same cost-effective rate. He could even choose to retire as he will be 33 years old next season, but he probably could find a team that needs his services.
Every team every year needs players who will exceed their contracts. Seattle has a real chance to go 10-7 because of the players below. It wasn't enough to get them to the playoffs this season, but it could be next year.
Seattle Seahawks left guard Laken Tomlinson
Let's start with the one who might raise a few more eyebrows. After all, the Seahawks' offensive line has been fairly atrocious this year. Only, the left side was not the issue. The problem was from center to right tackle. Right guard was the worst part. But left tackle Charles Cross and Tomlinson were not terrible.
Tomlinson graded as Pro Football Focus's (subscription required) 48th-best guard, and he allowed six sacks and 37 total pressures through Week 17, but those numbers were not so bad that they would have caused an offensive line to completely fail. Plus, veteran Tomlinson was only paid $1,210,000 this season, which is 64th among all guards.
In other words, Tomlinson's grade, according to PFF, is higher than his contract value. Is he the long-term answer at left guard for the Seahawks? No way. But he also was not one of the main problems with the O-line this season.
Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams
Williams got paid a slight bit over $10 million this season, and compared to most of the world, that is a lot of money. Among defensive ends, though, Williams was the 15th-highest-paid player. He ranked one notch below fellow Seattle player Dre'Mont Jones. Among interior defensive linemen, Williams has had the eighth-most quarterback pressures (52), the fourth-most sacks (9), and the fifth-most run stuffs (36).
The defensive lineman's cap hit increases quite a bit in 2025 to $29,150,000, and while that number is extremely high, if he plays as well as he did this season, he will be worth it. Williams makes the players around him have an easier job as he faces so many double-teams when being blocked, and yet, he still manages to be greatly productive.
Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love
Love is a bit like Williams. His cap hit will jump from $6.5 million this year to $13,236,666 in 2026. Thankfully, that is because Seattle signed the safety to an extension this past offseason keeping him in Seattle through 2027. Even the $13 million cap hit is likely going to be worth it.
Love surprisingly made the Pro Bowl in 2023 even though former head coach Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt refused to use him as much as they should have. New head coach Mike Macdonald did not have the same problem and knew Love was one of the keys to making the defense run at maximum efficiency.
Love is ranked as the seventh-best safety in the league this year, according to PFF. He is the 18th-highest-paid safety in the league in 2024. His cap hit of $13 million in 2026 would still only rank sixth in 2024. He is a great player on a team-friendly deal.