AJ Barner’s price has jumped to $15 million. Will the Seahawks want to pay it?

Two big extensions by tight ends over the weekend created the range for Barner’s next contract, assuming he continues to play like he did in 2025.

The Packers extended Tucker Kraft for $18.75 million a year, and the Raiders gave Michael Mayer a deal worth $15 million a year. Barner is not yet at Kraft’s level, but he is more accomplished than Mayer.

Assuming Barner keeps playing at the same level, the Hawks likely will pay him the $15 million or so that the market demands next year.

They can afford it – even while also extending Sam Darnold, Byron Murphy II, Julian Love and Ernest Jones IV. The Seahawks are projected to have over $50 million in salary cap space in 2027 – even after all of the extensions they did this year. Extending Darnold also would drop his cap hit, bumping that number even more.

We expect them to re-up all of those guys while re-signing Drew Lock and Zach Charbonnet and tendering/extending RFA Jalen Sundell.