Four Safeties the Seahawks Could Trade For

If Ty Okada returns to the field for the Seattle Seahawks either later today or next week, and then plays at the level he played at last season, I think the team is fine. Rodney Thomas has been good filling in, so they have depth in the event of more injuries. But for the moment, we don’t know, so let’s take a look at some early trade market options at safety.

Elijah Molden

Maybe we could convince the Los Angeles Chargers to just leave Molden behind after the game today. The former Washington Husky has been a valuable NFL player, with the caveat that he often misses games every season due to injury. He played in the Jesse Minter defense in 2024 and 2025, which should prepare him very well for Macdonald’s scheme.

A homecoming for Molden? — Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Elijah Molden (2) warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

His contract is also quite tame, with this season and next season left on it and very little bonus money. The Seahawks would be on the hook for around $5 million in base this season, and then could either hold the $5.25 million next year or move on with no dead cap. The Chargers would eat less than $4 million, so it’s very viable for an 0-3 team that needs a reset.

Amani Hooker

The longtime Tennessee Titan has been a good, but not remarkable, player for awhile now. It seems unlikely he’ll be finding much purpose on the Titans in the near future, so perhaps it’s time to try to switch things up. He’s only 28 and is clearly a starting caliber safety in this league. I have to believe Tennessee would be willing to part with him.

The success Hooker longs for won't be found in Tennessee. — Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) cheer during a game against the New York Giants. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

His contract, a three year extension that kicked in this season, is suboptimal. Luckily, most of the money is in the base, so the Titans would only swallow around $9 million according to Spotrac on a trade. $7 million in base left in 2026, and then almost $9.6 million in 2027, which the team can take on or avoid entirely with a release.

Antoine Winfield Jr

This one would get people out of their seats. Antoine Winfield is a significant upgrade over Ty Okada even on Ty’s best day, and is among the best safeties in football. Julian Love and Winfield would be the best safety tandem in the NFL by a wide margin. He’d fit in beautifully in this defense with his tackling skills and versatile profile. Hard to resist.

Ready for a big splash? Winfield is your man. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) looks on against the Kansas City Chiefs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just be ready to give up some serious draft capital here, and this probably also involves letting Love go after the season so you can afford Winfield. Tampa is swallowing nearly $28 million here, so they had really better be ready for a rebuild if they do this. Seattle’s on the hook for around $16 million in base and then probably backing up the truck for him in 2027.

Reed Blankenship

The pivotal question here: Is Reed Blankenship good? Pro Football Focus gives an emphatic ‘no’, grading him very poorly the last season plus, but they have scored him quite well before as he was a starter on an Eagles defense that made two super bowls and won one. Your mileage may vary. But Houston is 0-3 and might be looking to offload his three year contract.

They put most of the money into his base salary, so it’s a fairly movable deal. Spotrac has a little more than $7 million that the Texans have to eat, with Seattle taking a minimal financial commitment this season of around $1.2 million. It balloons up to $7.75 million next year, but again, it’s all base, so it’s trivial to worm out of if the team isn’t feeling it.

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