Insider delivers new scoop on Seahawks, Riq Woolen as trade deadline approaches

The NFL trade deadline is now only four hours away. The latest reporting suggests that the Seattle Seahawks are set to take a big swing at the deadline, banking on the fact that they have a legitimate Super Bowl window this season.

If they do make an aggressive acquisition we're betting it will be for a sack master like Maxx Crosby or Trey Hendrickson, who could take an already great defense and make it the best in football.

There are other possibilities, though. The Seahawks still need to find an upgrade over right guard Anthony Bradford, and there's also a chance that they could find a trade partner for their talented but inconsistent star cornerback Riq Woolen.

However, a new scoop says that's unlikely to happen. According to Matt Zenitz at CBS Sports, it's considered unlikely that the Seahawks will trade Woolen.

It’s currently considered unlikely that the #Seahawks trade cornerback Riq Woolen, sources tell @CBSSports.

Woolen, who’s been a popular name in advance of the NFL trade deadline, has made 52 starts the last four years and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2022. pic.twitter.com/fYJEFK51gi
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) November 4, 2025

Consider us conflicted on the idea of keeping Woolen - as well as trading him.

No other cornerback in the league has a ceiling as high as Woolen, whose height, length and athleticism could make him a mutant version of Richard Sherman at his best. However, Woolen is missing the killer instinct that made Sherman a three-time All-Pro and he tends to lose focus in coverage at the worst possible moments.

On the one hand, keeping Woolen is probably for the best when it comes to competing for a Super Bowl this season - which is a distinct possibility. Cornerback depth is critical for any contender, and Josh Jobe's concussion on Sunday night makes it that much more important.

In Jobe's absence Woolen proved that he can still be a valuable contributor in a backup role, as he played mostly shut-down coverage and earned the second-highest PFF grade for Seattle's defense this week.

Then again, Woolen also committed an easily-avoidable taunting penalty that cost them 15 yards. It didn't hurt at the time because the game had already been decided, but it doesn't take much imagination to see a similar flag being a back-breaker for the Seahawks in a playoff game.

If they do keep Woolen past the deadline, it also means they're likely going to lose him in free agency next year and get nothing in return, which is a pretty bitter pill to swallow for such a talent.

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