Seahawks May Punt on Current Free Agent Class To Ensure Future Success

Only a few of the Seattle Seahawks' top-7 unrestricted free agents may return in 2026. Running back Kenneth Walker III already seems to be headed out the door, and more may follow despite the team possessing nearly $55 million in effective cap space, per Over The Cap.

Even if the production isn't always top-tier, players coming off a Super Bowl victory are naturally going to command more money. NFL teams want champions in their locker rooms, and that makes general manager John Schneider's job much more difficult.

"They’re in a situation where they’re going to lose a lot of players. Like, that’s just the reality," ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler told Seattle Sports 710AM on Wednesday. "They’re going to lose some tough ones because their free agency class is really good, which helped them win a Super Bowl."

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) celebrates after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in overtime at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Fowler believes that wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and safety Coby Bryant may be among the Seahawks' top priorities. Those two contracts alone could easily eat up almost half of the team's current cap space, per Spotrac, which has both Shaheed and Bryant commanding at least $14 million per year.

If the team has other moves they want to make, that immediately tightens up the budget.

"Riq Woolen [is] probably pricing himself out of a return at this point, Kenneth Walker is probably pricing himself out," Fowler said. "So, you’ve got to consider, if you’re going to keep a few guys, who’s it going to be? Rashid Shaheed is a priority from what I’ve gathered, but he’s going to have suitors like Las Vegas … possibly Buffalo. He’s going to get paid. You have some more middle-tier options, like a Josh Jobe, I think, will be easier to retain — good player, but not huge money. Coby Bryant’s going to do really well, but would like to stay in Seattle."

There is a silver lining, however. The Seahawks will get future compensatory picks for draft picks that leave in free agency — a system that is in place to ensure teams receive some form of value in return. Thus, even if the Seahawks don't bring back the same team in 2026, they will still be stacking capital.

"Seattle's gonna lose a bunch of good players and they're gonna get a bunch of comp picks for it." 👀

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler tells @BrockHuard & @TheMikeSalk what he sees happening w/ the #Seahawks as free agency approaches.

(full 📺: https://t.co/AHtMCeA30M) pic.twitter.com/GLq1CGLpvx
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) March 4, 2026

"The way I see it is Seattle’s going to lose a bunch of good players and they’re going to get a bunch of comp picks for it in the future, and they’re going to use those to package [in trades] and draft and bring in new players," Fowler added. "There might be a surprise that they have somewhere. I just feel like Mike Macdonald is good at zigging when other people expect to zag. He has a vision for his team that might not be the consensus, that might be creative and new. So, if they added a whole new player and spent money at a position you didn’t expect, that wouldn’t surprise me either."

A blockbuster trade or free-agent signing isn't out of the question, per Fowler. Schneider and Macdonald showed their roster-building prowess last year when they traded DK Metcalf and Geno Smith and released Tyler Lockett. They ended up building a Super Bowl-winning offense with Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed as key additions.

Don't be surprised if multiple Seahawks don't return to the team. The Seahawks' brass has a plan that they are unlikely to stray from as they try to make a push for a second-straight Super Bowl victory.

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