2026 free agency

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was back in Seattle on March 25 to sign his megadeal.

He agreed to a $168.6 million extension on March 23 and is signed for six years and about $195 million now.

“It’s an honor, it’s a blessing,” he said. “I feel like I was definitely drafted to Seattle for a reason. It’s become home.”

John Schneider said, “When you go to ownership and ask for an investment like this, you have to be cognizant of who the person is. His parents did a great job raising him.”

Schneider said Jody Allen told him, “Let’s go win another one. Let’s get after it.”

Schneider credited team contract negotiator Joey Laine for getting the deal done fast: “Give Joey Laine a ton of credit. We’ve had a great relationship with Jaxon’s agent (Joel Segal) for a long, long time.”

The deal includes $120 million guaranteed, which encompasses a $35 million signing bonus and $69 million fully guaranteed.

The breakdown via Over the Cap:

NFL execs disagree on Mafe

Boye Mafe got $20 million a year from Cincinnati, which is obviously projecting that he will be a so-called force multiplier after being a rotational rusher in Seattle.

Mafe had been linked to Philadelphia, Dallas and New England, projected to make $12 million to $14 million per year. The Bengals clearly saw his pass -rush win rate (among the best in the NFL) and decided to wager that will turn into more impact plays than he had in 2025 for Seattle (just two sacks after getting 15 the previous two years combined).

But he certainly has to prove he can translate his quick win rate into pressures and sacks.

“He’s not gonna be playing with the same caliber of players (as in Seattle), but he’s probably gonna be allowed to just rip upfield with Cincinnati, which could help his individual production,” an NFL exec told Mike Sando of The Athletic. “He can win quickly, but in Seattle, it was more about rushing four as one. He does have to become a better finisher.”

Another team’s exec thinks the Bengals far overpaid.

“Mafe is a lesser player than (Malcolm) Koonce (signed by the Raiders for $11 million per year). Mafe makes me cringe because he is really a (designated pass rusher) who does not play the run at all.”

The Seahawks clearly saw him more as that second NFL guys does, so it will be interesting to see how he does with the Bengals.

RB hunt: Harris visits

Looking to replace Kenneth Walker III, the Seahawks brought in former Steelers first-round pick Najee Harris for a visit on March 25.

The team likely wants to see how Harris is doing in his recovery from a torn Achilles suffered last season with the Chargers. His agent posted video of him running full speed on a treadmill earlier in the week.

The Seahawks signed Emanuel Wilson earlier in March to help fill the void left by Walker, who signed with Kansas City.

On his radio show March 19, Schneider said he is not concerned about Seattle’s running back room.

“That’s a position that you can find guys,” Schneider said on 710 AM. “And obviously, K-9 (was) outstanding, and everybody’s really excited for him. I mean, that’s a great, great contract for a running back. But George (Holani) did a great job. We’re really excited about Emanuel Wilson, who we got from Green Bay — a heavy runner with really nice feet.”

Wilson, undrafted in 2023, has been the Packers’ No. 2 back behind Josh Jacobs for the past two years — running for almost 1,000 yards and scoring seven touchdowns on the ground.

Schneider’s “that’s a position you can find guys” comment will be compared by fans to Schneider’s infamous “guards are overpaid and overdrafted” statement from a couple years ago. Some will point out that he followed that up by drafting Grey Zabel in the first round last year, so actions do not always follow in the footsteps of the words.

But Schneider is not concerned: “We know where we’re at.”

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Zach Charbonnet likely will end up back on a one-year deal in 2027 to build his value after the ACL injury that is expected to cost him half of next season. That could play into the Hawks not being too concerned about the position as well. Maybe they are just looking at going cheap this year, thinking Charbs will be back at midseason and then be RB1 in 2027.

Hawks match offer sheet for Bobo

The Seahawks also retained Jake Bobo on March 23 by matching Jacksonville’s offer sheet guaranteeing him $4.5 million in a two-year deal worth $5.5 million.

The Seahawks had tendered him at $3.52 million, which is merely right of first refusal (no draft pick compensation).

The deal has incentives that could push it to $7 million.

The Seahawks had until March 25 to decide whether to match.

“This is everything you want coming into the league,” Bobo told Seahawks.com. “I love this organization. This organization gave me a shot in the NFL. I owe my career to this organization, so to be able to stay here and build on what we’ve already built, it means a whole lot for (general manager) John (Schneider) and the guys upstairs to put some trust in me to help this organization.

“I didn’t want to go anywhere else. Obviously, it looked like there was a shot I was going to end up in Jacksonville. But, in the back of my mind, I was hoping the guys upstairs would make something happen — and they did. I was incredibly thankful for that. I knew where I wanted to be, I knew where home was, and I’m definitely glad it worked out.”

Special teams returns intact

With Cody White and Chazz Surratt back, the Seahawks have now brought back all but five guys as they plot another Super Bowl run.

Yeah, Walker, Coby Bryant, Riq Woolen and Boye Mafe were all key figures in the 2025 championship season.

But the Seahawks had the best special teams in the NFL (by DVOA) — and all of the most important guys on those units have returned. Dareke Young is the one guy who left, joining Klint Kubiak in Las Vegas.

Brady Russell, the captain and No. 1 player on special teams at 87% of the snaps, is back on a two-year deal. D’Anthony Bell, fourth in snaps, has returned after Carolina scooped him up late in the season and prevented him from enjoying a Super Bowl run. Surratt was sixth in snaps. White was 16th.

Also back are Drake Thomas (10th), Chris Stoll (11th), Holani (15th) and Ty Okada (17th). And don’t forget the most impactful player on the return teams, Rashid Shaheed.

Secondary moves

The Seahawks added two more defensive backs March 14, agreeing with cornerback Noah Igbinoghene on a one-year deal after bringing back Shemar Jean-Charles.

Igbinoghene, a 2020 first-round pick by Miami, played for Washington the past two years. On radio, Schneider said he has been trying to get Igbinoghene the last couple of years.

Igbinoghene joins safety Rodney Thomas II as new arrivals in the secondary. Jean-Charles was on the ready squad in 2025. Thomas was among a flurry of signings March 12 that included Russell, Bell and Brandon Pili.

Those guys join three others who were retained March 11: backup tackle Josh Jones, Stoll and Bobo (with the RFA tender).

Thomas, a seventh-round pick by Indy in 2022, started 25 games in his first two seasons, collecting six interceptions, before fading to the bench the past two.

Armani Perez, Seahawks assistant director of pro personnel, said of Thomas: “I think Rodney’s best football is ahead of him with these coaches, this staff, this support system.”

Neither Wilson nor Thomas will count in the compensatory formula. Wilson was a non-tendered RFA, which does not factor, and Thomas signed a one-year deal for just $1.2 million.

Jones filled in admirably at the end of the season, starting the final three games for Charles Cross and playing injured in the final game.

Jones gave a message to fans: “Glad to be back. Glad to hit the ground rolling, man. Let’s run it back. Let’s do it again.”

Stoll has been Seattle’s long snapper since joining the Hawks out of Penn State in 2023.

Russell, a special-teams mainstay, told fans in another video from the team, “I love y’all and I love the city. I’m so thankful to be back and be welcomed with open arms.”

He told the team’s site: “I was definitely hoping to stay here. We’ve built something really special, and it’s really cool to be a part of the initial team when Mike (Macdonald) came in and be a part of what we’ve built.”

Safety A.J. Finley — injured for much of the past two seasons — also will return.

D-Law’s status

There is scuttlebutt that DeMarcus Lawrence, 33, could retire. But Jonathan Hankins, who played with him in Dallas, does not think so.

“Just knowing him personally as a brother, I think he’ll be back. So you don’t gotta worry about that,” Hankins told Seattle Sports Radio. “I don’t think he gonna just stop with one Super Bowl. I definitely think he’ll be back for more.”

That would be good news for Seattle, which lost Boye Mafe in free agency.

The Seahawks need to address their front five, though, because this almost certainly will be Lawrence’s last year — and Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu and Leonard Williams are all scheduled to be free agents next year.

The Crosby Show

The Baltimore Ravens irked the entire NFL by backing out of a 4-day-old trade agreement for Maxx Crosby due to concerns about the knee he is rehabilitating.

Crosby is back in Las Vegas after the stunning reversal. He announced it on social media: “I’m a Raider. I’m back.”

Now the question is whether the Raiders will trade him again.

The Raiders are apparently still holding high to their ask of two first-round picks. But no other team has offered that, which means they will need to come down if another trade is going to be made.

Could the Seahawks be in on it? Possibly.

Dallas apparently had offered a 1 and 2, but the Cowboys then traded for Rashan Gary after they thought they had lost out on Crosby.

A 1 and 2 seems to be the max it will end up taking. Would the Hawks be interested in exploring a deal again at that price?

Schneider and his staff certainly have done their diligence. Like maybe every team now, the Seahawks surely would want to do their own medical check before agreeing to any deal.

Crosby’s agent tried to assuage any concerns about the star pass rusher’s health: “Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and, if anything, is ahead of schedule according to his surgeon, Dr. Neal El Attrache. Maxx remains on track to return during the offseason program & will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons.”

This saga might be on pause for the moment, with NFL insiders saying the plan for now is for Crosby to play for the Raiders in 2026. But you never know.

Eagles the faves for Greenard?

We have suggested that the Seahawks should be interested in Vikings star pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, but the team that seems to be the favorite to get him is Philadelphia.

Albert Breer wrote, “Greenard is available for the right price — and if you’re willing to give him a raise. I don’t think he’s massively unhappy in Minnesota, nor do I believe that the Vikings are in any sort of rush to offload him. The Vikings would be fine keeping him aboard on his current deal, which has him at $19 million (non-guaranteed) and another $19 million next year. This all started because he wanted a raise. So if you redo his deal and give Minnesota a second-round pick, which I’m not sure anyone will, maybe you can have him.”

Woolen lands with Eagles

It took most of the first two days of free agency, but Riq Woolen finally found a new team.

He certainly had to be disappointed, as it is just a one-year deal worth up to $15 million ($12 million base) with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Apparently, the league saw what Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks saw — inconsistency and immaturity — and decided he still needs to prove he is worth paying for the long haul.

As he languished on the market, we figured his price had dipped under $15 million a year and he might end up on a one-year contract.

Here’s one reason:

Day 1 recap

Free agency began with the expected departures of Walker, Bryant (Chicago) and Mafe (Cincinnati). But the Hawks did retain Josh Jobe and also surprisingly brought back Shaheed.

Shaheed reportedly agreed to a three-year deal worth $51 million. The Hawks were not expected to go that high for their big 2025 trade acquisition, who played a key role in their Super Bowl run.

It had become clear that Shaheed was going to get upwards of $18 million a year. It just did not seem like Seattle would be the one to pay that.

But clearly Schneider, Mike Macdonald and Jay Harbaugh value him very highly after seeing him return three kicks for touchdowns after his midseason arrival last year.

“Rasheed, we just hung with it,” Schneider said on his radio show on 710 AM. “He really wanted to be here. We knew that was going to be hard. We were able to stay in range for him.”

Jobe back at team’s price

Some thought Jobe’s price might hit $10 million. ESPN’s Brady Henderson had suggested that the team would love to have him at more like $7 million or $8 million, and that is what happened. He is getting $24 million over three years.

Keeping Jobe alleviates the need to stress cornerback in the draft. So, well done by Schneider and Joey Laine.

Walker: KC’s chief RB

As expected, Walker is walking.

The Super Bowl MVP is joining Kansas City — one of his reported suitors from the start — on a three-year deal averaging $14.35 million and with $28.7 million fully guaranteed, per reports.

Walker reportedly was considering the New York Giants, Washington and Tennessee as well.

The deal is in line with the high end of what we and others thought he might get — and, as also expected by everyone, that was way too much for Seattle’s taste.

Bear Bryant

So much for the optimism about Bryant returning. He reportedly will sign with Chicago for $40 million over three years.

He gets a $12 million signing bonus and $14 million total in 2026.

The Rams gave Kam Curl a three-year, $36 million deal — and that is what Bryant’s market was expected to be. Bryant ended up getting an extra million a year.

We figured the Hawks would not want to go over $8 million a year.

They reportedly were far apart as recently as the Combine and then word came they might have bridged the gap the weekend before free agency began. But whatever progress might have been made was not enough.

With Ty Okada having developed very well in 2025, the Hawks should be OK at safety. The draft has a lot of interesting options, too, starting with Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.

Spoon’s extension value set

Devon Witherspoon’s market is set, now that the Rams extended Trent McDuffie for $31 million a year.

A few days after acquiring McDuffie from Kansas City, the Rams gave him a four-year, $124 million deal. That makes him the highest-paid corner in the NFL. Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. are next at $30 million a year.

The Seahawks are expected to extend Witherspoon at some point this year, and now they have the number: $32 million a year.

Thomas details

Drake Thomas signed a two-year deal worth $4 million a year — exactly what we had expected the RFA to do. The deal reportedly includes just a $1.5 million signing bonus and counts $3.55 million in 2026.

That is about the same as the amount for the right-of-first-refusal tender $3.52 million, and well off the second-round tender of $5.77 million.

After officially signing Wednesday, Thomas said, “The organization, my teammates, the coaches, this is where I wanted to be. So to be able to sign back here and lock this in, it means the world to me.”

Comp tracker

Here are the current comp pick projections for 2027, via the excellent Nick Korte at OverTheCap.

2022 draft payoff

The 2022 draft class will go down as one of Schneider’s best. It helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl, Schneider then kept both tackles (Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, first and third rounds) and will get some draft picks back from his 2s (Walker and Mafe), his 4 (Bryant) and one of his two 5s from that draft (Woolen).

Details of the deals

Longtime NFL reporter Aaron Wilson always provides breakdowns of contracts in free agency. Here they are …