Seattle Seahawks

With $27.6M in cap room, a nearly spotless dead-cap figure of $1.8M, and 34 expiring contracts creating natural flexibility, the Seahawks are one of the better-positioned teams to make aggressive moves right now.

34 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

The roster's top strength is its receiver room headlined by a 99-overall Jaxon Smith-Njigba, while the weakest spot is the center position, where the starter and both backups sit well below the league's starting caliber.

• LShigh

  Chris Stoll is the lone specialist at long snapper and the depth behind him is made up of skill-position players, making this a fragile situation worth monitoring.

• SAMhigh

  Tyrice Knight leads a SAM group that drops sharply to Chazz Surratt and then Uchenna Nwosu, leaving this a high-priority need for a legitimate upgrade.

• Cmedium

  Jalen Sundell starts at center with Olusegun Oluwatimi and Federico Maranges behind him, a thin and low-rated group that represents a genuine vulnerability in the interior.

• RGlow

  Anthony Bradford is the starter at right guard and is adequate, but upgrading behind him would give the offensive line a more reliable depth cushion.

• Air RaidoffensiveGood

  Jaxon Smith-Njigba as an X Factor No. 1, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed as experienced options beneath him, and Sam Darnold's Star-trait arm make this a natural fit for a spread, pass-volume system.

• 4-3 Man BlitzdefensivePassable

  Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II form a disruptive interior DT duo, Devon Witherspoon provides the elite man coverage needed to let the defense bring extra rushers, and the LEDGE depth can generate pressure in rotations.

• 76Uchenna NwosuREDGECutting Uchenna Nwosu frees $11.0M against $9.0M in dead money, a net cost worth absorbing given he is only the second REDGE on the depth chart and his age trend is heading in the wrong direction.Frees $11.0M · $9.0M dead
• 78Jarran ReedDTJarran Reed is the third defensive tackle behind Williams and Murphy II, and releasing him frees $3.5M while leaving only $3.9M in dead money, making it a reasonable roster-trimming move.Frees $3.5M · $3.9M dead
• 64Nick VannettTENick Vannett is the third tight end on the depth chart, costs $1.1M to cut with zero dead money, and at 33 offers no developmental upside behind A.J. Barner and Elijah Arroyo.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 66Drew LockQBDrew Lock sits third on the quarterback depth chart behind Darnold and Milroe, and releasing him saves $2.3M against only $500K in dead money with essentially no impact on the two-deep.Frees $2.3M · $500.0K dead
• 67Eric SaubertTEEric Saubert is listed on both the FB and TE depth charts as a late option but offers minimal production value at 32; cutting him frees $1.7M against just $470K in dead money.Frees $1.7M · $470.0K dead

The Seahawks enter franchise mode as a team with a clear identity built around Jaxon Smith-Njigba, one of the best receivers in the game, and a Sam Darnold-led Air Raid attack supported by Zach Charbonnet and a solid offensive line anchored by Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas. Devon Witherspoon gives the defense an elite corner, and Nick Emmanwori and Byron Murphy II represent a genuinely exciting young foundation on that side of the ball. The concern is at the edges of the roster: DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams are the defensive cornerstones but both are entering the late stage of their careers, and Cooper Kupp is in a similar position in the receiving corps. The SAM linebacker and center spots are legitimate weak links that need addressing early. Cap space of $27.6M and a remarkably clean dead-cap figure of $1.8M give ownership real flexibility to move quickly, and with 34 expiring contracts, roster construction will be active from day one.

The NFL awarded Seattle an expansion franchise in June 1974, and the Seahawks began play in 1976 alongside the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are the only NFL team to switch conferences twice in the post-merger era: they played their inaugural 1976 season in the NFC West, swapped with Tampa Bay to join the AFC West from 1977 through 2001, then returned to the NFC West in 2002 following league realignment. The team played in the Kingdome (1976-1999), Husky Stadium (2000-2001), and since 2002 at Lumen Field. Early success came under coach Chuck Knox in the 1980s, with Jim Zorn, Steve Largent, and Kenny Easley leading teams that reached the 1983 AFC Championship Game and posted a then-best 12-4 record in 1984. The Mike Holmgren era produced the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance: a 13-3 team in 2005 that lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defining dynasty arrived under Pete Carroll (hired 2010) and QB Russell Wilson (drafted 2012). Powered by the "Legion of Boom" secondary and RB Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII after the 2013 season, routing the Denver Broncos 43-8, then returned to Super Bowl XLIX but lost to the Patriots on the goal-line interception of Wilson by Malcolm Butler. After a rebuild that saw Wilson traded (2022) and Carroll's departure, Seattle hired Mike Macdonald in January 2024. In 2025 the team went a franchise-record 14-3, won the NFC West, secured the NFC's No. 1 seed, and captured Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots (29-13), the franchise's second title. Weeks later, on February 18, 2026, the Paul Allen estate announced it would sell the team.