It’s not a big surprise the Seahawks are possibly entertaining trade offers for Riq Woolen.
We have talked about this since last December and pushed for it to happen before the draft. They might have traded him then if they had more cornerback options, which they do now thanks to Josh Jobe, Derion Kendrick and Shaq Griffin.
Jobe and Kendrick have both been stellar in their chances over the first part of the season, while Woolen was a big factor in their Week 1 loss to the 49ers and committed three fouls against Arizona. He is just really inconsistent, and Mike Macdonald does not tolerate guys who make lots of mistakes.
After the Arizona game, Macdonald said Woolen’s confidence seems down: “I think he’s pressing a little bit (amid the competition).” He said the penalties are coming on plays Woolen has made before. “We expect him to make them.”
Macdonald has been extremely happy with Jobe and Kendrick — the latter of whom did not get to play vs. Arizona as Devon Witherspoon returned. Macdonald probably wants to get Kendrick on the field and — based on this trade report — probably feels OK with Nehemiah Pritchett and Griffin behind Spoon, Jobe and Kendrick.
If the Hawks could get a third- or fourth-rounder for Woolen, they should make the move. That is probably what they would end up with as a 2027 comp pick if Woolen were to play out the rest of his rookie deal this year and leave in 2026. A 2026 fourth is the equivalent of a 2027 third, based on how teams value current picks vs. later ones.
Some are talking about the Hawks possibly trading Woolen for a guard. But starting linemen rarely are traded in season. Good ones are hard to find, so teams hold on to them. And it is tricky to train a lineman midseason. The Hawks would need to look for a guard who knows Kubiak’s system, to make the deal worth it.
We talked way back in January about Pete Carroll and the Raiders possibly making a move for Woolen. Some are trying to push the idea of Woolen for guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, who played in Oregon’s wide zone scheme. Would the Seahawks consider Powers-Johnson a quick fix at right guard? Would Carroll go for that deal?
Trey Hendrickson is also a name that continues to come up, but the Seahawks’ defensive front has been one of the best in the league and John Schneider and Macdonald have not seemed inclined to make a big move there. Getting Hendrickson would require more than just Woolen — probably a Day 2 pick. And then they would have to pay him the balance of his $16 million salary and decide whether to extend the 31-year-old after the season. That Seahawks fan pipe dream seems as unlikely now as it did back in March or whenever people started wishing for it to happen.
In the end, Woolen seems likely to be moved for a mid-round draft pick. Some fans would hate that, but the alternative is to either bench him or let him keep making costly mistakes while Kendrick sits on the sideline. That seems unlikely at this point.
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