Why the Seahawks Are Perfectly Positioned to Assemble a Dynasty

The Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX with the fifth-youngest roster in the NFL this season (average 25.77 years old). They had the perfect mix of hungry, experienced veterans and young talent that grew into current and future All-Pros.

Seattle's future could be even brighter. Previous perennial Super Bowl contenders like the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are in brutal cap and roster situations in 2026 and 2027, and the Seahawks have a cap advantage over the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles next season.

With a quarterback making the 18th-highest average salary among his peers, the Seahawks have money to spend elsewhere that could keep them from losing critical free agents this offseason.

Additionally, head coach Mike Macdonald is just 38 years old and could eventually be one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NFL if he continues to churn out Super Bowl contenders. Let's take a look at the offseason snapshot for the Seahawks as they head into 2026.

Seahawks 2026 cap space: $72.28 million (6th most)

Seahawks unrestricted free agents

* All market value projections are per Spotrac

S Coby Bryant (projected $14.228 million average annual salary)
WR Rashid Shaheed ($14.127 million)
EDGE Boye Mafe ($12.24 million)
CB Josh Jobe ($9.74 million)
RB Kenneth Walker III ($9.01 million)
CB Riq Woolen ($8.19 million)
T Josh Jones ($3.5 million)
WR Dareke Young
LB Chazz Surratt

Nov 30, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant (8) celebrates after an interception during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Seahawks restricted free agents

RB George Holani (ERFA)
S A.J. Finley
LS Chris Stoll
WR Jake Bobo
LB Drake Thomas
DL Brandon Pili
S Ty Okada (ERFA)
FB Brady Russell
WR Cody White

Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (42) reacts after an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi's Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Seahawks current extension candidates (priority 2027 UFAs)

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (projected $37.73 million average annual salary)
DL Leonard Williams ($17.79 million)
CB Devon Witherspoon ($23.19 million)
EDGE Derick Hall ($12.11 million)
RB Zach Charbonnet ($7.25 million)

These lists are filled with a lot of big names who are going to command a lot of money. But the Seahawks still have approximately $128.34 million in 2027 cap space, per Over The Cap, which helps with the extension candidates, especially.

The Seahawks are particularly going to want to lock down players like Smith-Njigba, Williams and Witherspoon before they reach free agency, but they have the luxury of the 14th most cap space in that league year as well. That will go down a bit after the current unrestricted free agents are signed, but there's enough wiggle room there that most of the big names should be able to be kept in Seattle.

Among the current group, Bryant, Shaheed, Jobe and Walker have to be the priority re-signings. Those four were absolutely critical in the run to a Super Bowl LX win, and replacing them will not be easy.

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs the ball during the third quarter against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Thomas and Okada are the biggest restricted free agents to get back, as the former became a starter at linebacker next to Ernest Jones IV and Okada was an elite depth piece in the secondary.

The Seahawks' prospects of becoming a dynasty are more about the luxury of their own situation than the peril of other contenders, but the 49ers' are in the opposite kind of situation. If San Francisco can't reload, that leaves the Rams and Seahawks atop the NFC West in a head-to-head battle. Los Angeles is going to continue to be competitive, at least until Matthew Stafford retires.

The Eagles, Bears, Packers and Lions are also young and a threat, but they were a tier below the Seahawks this season. They have to prove they can beat Seattle first, and none of them even got a chance to in 2025. The Eagles and Bears are both on the Seahawks' 2026 schedule.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider has work to do to retain as many pieces as possible while still adding to the roster — hopefully finding more stellar free-agent additions like DeMarcus Lawrence in the process.

But with all the factors weighing in their favor, and Schneider having an excellent reputation of finding ways to manipulate the salary cap, the Seahawks could be right back in the Super Bowl next season and for years to come.

Why the Seahawks Are Perfectly Positioned to Assemble a Dynasty

Seahawks 2026 cap space: $72.28 million (6th most)

Seahawks unrestricted free agents

Seahawks restricted free agents

Seahawks current extension candidates (priority 2027 UFAs)

Related: Buy the new Seahawks championship commemorative Sports Illustrated cover

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