Seattle Seahawks

With $14.6M in current room (rank 26) but a lean $1.8M in dead money and $58.1M projected next season, Seattle is tight now but will have serious spending power very soon.

24 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seven picks in the upcoming draft including three first-rounders, and 20 total picks over three years, give Seattle an exceptional runway to fill roster holes and build depth without sacrificing cap space.

• Acquired: Round 7 from Falcons, this draft
• Traded away: Round 4 to Browns, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Jets, next draft

The roster's top strength is the receiver group headlined by a 99-overall Smith-Njigba, while the most glaring weakness is the center position, where Seattle's starter ranks 28th leaguewide.

• Chigh

  Starter Jalen Sundell ranks 28th among centers leaguewide, making center a high-priority upgrade at both the starter and depth levels.

• SAMhigh

  Tyrice Knight starts at SAM and ranks 11th of 13 starters at the position, leaving Seattle thin and below average at the spot.

• TEhigh

  A.J. Barner starts at tight end but ranks 28th leaguewide, and the depth behind him offers little upside, making TE a pressing need.

• HBlow

  Zach Charbonnet is a capable starter but ranks 22nd among starting backs, so adding competition or an upgrade at halfback has value.

• REDGElow

  Uchenna Nwosu starts at REDGE and ranks 23rd leaguewide, and releasing him would open cap space and a clear opportunity to upgrade.

• WILLlow

  Drake Thomas starts at WILL and ranks 22nd leaguewide as a starter, though Seattle's depth at the position ranks 3rd, softening the concern.

• 77Uchenna NwosuREDGEUchenna Nwosu starts at REDGE but ranks 23rd leaguewide and his release frees $11.0M against $9.0M in dead money, making him a prime restructure or cut target to fund an upgrade.Frees $11.0M · $9.0M dead
• 78Jarran ReedDTJarran Reed is a 78-overall backup DT in the twilight of his career who frees $3.5M against only $3.9M in dead money, and Byron Murphy II already holds the starter's role ahead of him.Frees $3.5M · $3.9M dead
• 67Eric SaubertTEEric Saubert is a 67-overall twilight-age third-string tight end whose release costs just $470K in dead money while freeing $1.7M, and A.J. Barner and Elijah Arroyo hold the top two spots ahead of him.Frees $1.7M · $470.0K dead
• 68Drew LockQBDrew Lock is a 68-overall backup quarterback whose release frees $2.3M against only $500K in dead money, and Jalen Milroe provides a younger developmental option at QB3.Frees $2.3M · $500.0K dead
• 72Anthony BradfordRGAnthony Bradford is a 72-overall backup RG whose release frees $3.7M against just $200K in dead money, making him an easy cut to generate cap space with Grey Zabel firmly ahead of him.Frees $3.7M · $200.0K dead

Seattle is in an enviable position, built around one of the best receivers in the game in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and supported by a defense anchored by Devon Witherspoon and Leonard Williams. Sam Darnold gives the offense a capable, if not transcendent, quarterback, and the offensive line features stars in Quenton Nelson and Charles Cross. The concerns are real but manageable: center and tight end are legitimate weak spots, and the pass rush will need investment as DeMarcus Lawrence is in the final chapter of his career and Uchenna Nwosu is a cap candidate. Cooper Kupp provides a high-quality secondary receiver now, but he too is entering the late stage of his career and cannot be counted on as a long-term piece. The young core of Smith-Njigba, Nick Emmanwori, and Byron Murphy II gives the franchise a bright trajectory, and holding three first-round picks in the upcoming draft with $14.6M in cap room this season and $58.1M projected next season means Seattle has the tools to address its needs aggressively. The window is open now, and the resources to sustain it are in place.

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.