The business of football brought a quick and harsh reality to the Seattle Seahawks soon after winning the Super Bowl this past season. The team could celebrate, but some of those players enjoying the victory might also be walking away in free agency.
Seattle has lost four key players from 2025: running back Kenneth Walker, cornerback Riq Woolen, safety Coby Bryant, and edge rusher Boye Mafe. The team hasn't yet signed a real replacement for them through the first week of free agency. Instead, general manager John Schneider seems hopeful that players already on the roster can become starters.
That is a huge gamble, of course, and one that might sink the Seahawks to third place in the NFC West in 2026. One positive, however, comes in 2027. The team should still have lots of cap space, even with potential extensions for Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and appears set to have 12 draft picks in a loaded class.
Winners and losers for the Seattle Seahawks in phase 1 of 2026 free agency
Winner: Safety Ty Okada
Okada was tendered this offseason, keeping him in Seattle for one more year, at least. He got to play quite a bit in 2025 after starter Julian Love was injured and missed half the season. Okada was quite good in his place, solid in coverage, a willing tackler, and excellent against the run.
With Coby Bryant signing with the Chicago Bears, Okada would appear set up to be the starter next season. That is a lot of pressure, but if he excels as he did this past season, he will make a lot of money in free agency in 2027.
Loser: Head coach Mike Macdonald
John Schneider is relying on Macdonald's magic to continue after 2025, even though the talent on his defense appears to be diminished. The team lost Woolen, which is probably fine, as the corner had a mercurial attitude. The losses of Bryant and Mafe could really hurt, though.
Assuming Okada is fine, Bryant's absence will not be felt as much, but that is a gamble. Okada has never been expected to be a starter yet. The Seahawks don't have an obvious replacement for Mafe, and might not be able to draft one, either.
The main reason that Seattle won the Super Bowl this past season was its elite defense. That side of the ball doesn't look as good heading into 2026 currently.
Winner: Linebacker Drake Thomas
Thomas became one of the inside linebacker starters early in the 2025 season because he kept making plays in practice. Once he began playing full-time next to Ernest Jones, Thomas proved he could be a very good player in the NFL. Now, he is expected to be the starter in Week 1 of 2026, too.
The team re-signed Thomas for two seasons and a maximum of $9 million. If he continues to play as well as he did in 2025, by the time he is up again in free agency, his pay raise could be massive.
Loser: Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury
For Fleury's scheme to work well, he needs running backs who can operate well in the system. This is the assumption anyway, as Fleury is a Kyle Shanahan disciple, and Shanahan's San Francisco 49ers are offensively elite because they run so well.
Fleury will begin his Seahawks career without Kenneth Walker, and probably without a fully healthy Zach Charbonnet, who tore his ACL against the 49ers in the playoffs. Seattle did sign Emanuel Wilson in free agency, but he hasn't proven he can be a lead back yet. Fleury may need him to be, however.
Winner: Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed
Did the Seahawks overpay for Shaheed? Not to those in the know. 12s understand what the wide receiver meant for the team after he was added at the trade deadline this past season. $51 million over three seasons might be a bargain.
Seattle simply doesn't get the top seed in the NFC without Shaheed's ability to return kicks and punts. That ability was known before he was dealt by the New Orleans Saints, and will continue for the foreseeable future. His speed is immense, and he has an impact in two phases of the game.