Seattle Seahawks stud Riq Woolen ranked among top corners hitting free agency in 2026

The Seattle Seahawks are on pace to have a boatload of salary cap space in 2026. According to figures at Over the Cap, Seattle will be sitting on around $55.88 million in cap room. Only seven teams around the league are currently on pace to have more available cash.

However, a lot of that money has to be earmarked for extensions for the team's stellar 2022 NFL draft class, which was the team's best in a decade. The Seahawks managed to land five potential long-term starters in that draft, which is as good as any team has ever done in one class.

While they're all worth considering for long-term deals, odds are one or two will be allowed to walk in free agency so that the Seahawks can prioritize other players. If he hits the open market, then Riq Woolen will be one of the best cornerbacks in the 2026 free agent class, according to PFF.

"Riq Woolen will also draw the attention of teams desperate to add a freakish athlete to their secondary. The 26-year-old cornerback has some of the most impressive measurables ever seen at the position, as he ranks in the 90th percentile or better in nearly every athletic test and measure. While he has some inconsistencies in his game, his 78.3 PFF coverage grade across the past three seasons shows he’s just scratching the surface."

While he hasn't been able to put it all together yet, Woolen's size and athleticism give him a ceiling that no other cornerback in the NFL can match. Even when Woolen is beat in coverage, his remarkable recovery ability enables him to erase mistakes.

Then again, as PFF mentioned Woolen has been plagued by inconsistency - especially when it comes to the ugly work of tackling - where he earned putrid grades his first two seasons (36.5 and 38.6) and a below-average 56.0 in 2024.

Woolen's run defense (76.2) took a big step forward last year, though - and if he can lock in against the elite receivers opponents will line up across from him Woolen will be worth a handsome contract that makes him one of the league's highest-paid cornerbacks.

There's no guarantee that Woolen will ever live up to his full potential, though. If he doesn't play like the All Pro that we all know he can be in the first half of the 2025 season, the Seahawks front office has to at least explore a trade around the deadline - or risk losing him and getting nothing in return when free agency hits next spring.

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