Seahawks Among Small List of Teams During Day One of Free Agency

Day one of the NFL’s Legal Tampering says a lot about the team’s goal to get better or figure out what they are accomplishing. For the Seattle Seahawks, their goal was to retain as many of their free agents that helped them win a Super Bowl title.

Seattle will lose running back Kenneth Walker III, safety Coby Bryant, and edge rusher Boye Mafe once the new league year comes on Wednesday. The front office retained some free agents like wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed and cornerback Josh Jobe.

Seahawks Don’t Make Move for Outside Player

John Schneider during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. — Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

By focusing on their players on their roster, the Seahawks were one of four teams not to make an outside addition to the team this offseason through trade or agreeing to new deals. Seattle joins the Denver Broncos, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Philadelphia Eagles as the teams that focus on retaining the free agents from their roster and not externally. The Green Bay Packers didn’t agree to a deal with a free agent from another team, but they made a player-for-player trade with the Indianapolis Colts earlier.

There are a few things that the Seahawks, Broncos, Eagles, and Jaguars have in common. The first is that these teams won at least 11 games and claimed their divisions this past season. Another is that they are teams feared and expected to be in the hunt for a Super Bowl title in the 2026 NFL Season.

Seahawks’ Patience Could Pay Off

Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a 2025 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) looks back at Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome II (6) while scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Jaguars 20-12. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

These four teams lost some key players to other teams during this early portion of free agency. Most teams desperate for some momentum or to get further in the playoff chase will overpay a player from a high-caliber team. The Seahawks lost Walker to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are desperate to return to Super Bowl form and relieve pressure on the passing game. Bryant went to the Chicago Bears, who are attempting a Super Bowl push. Finally, Mafe goes to the Cincinnati Bengals as a cheaper alternative to Trey Hendrickson.

Meanwhile, Seattle and its front office are looking to be patient with the moves being made. The Seahawks have the sixth-most salary cap space in the league at $50.1 million, according to Spotrac. This doesn’t mean that the front office should go for $50 million worth of free agents this offseason. They must be smart about the players they evaluate for deals in the remainder of the offseason.

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon are eligible for contract extensions. Plus, the Seahawks will have to find ways to pay their rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft Class. The Seahawks can get away with some surprise signings at a solid price, as they have with the new deals of Jobe and Shaheed. General manager John Schneider has been critical that he will not overpay players for the Seahawks to get better because it often hurts the team more than it helps.

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