Seattle Seahawks

Seattle is one of the cleanest cap situations in the league, carrying just $1.8M in dead money and watching committed obligations drop sharply in the next two seasons.

21 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seattle holds seven picks in the upcoming draft, including three first-rounders across the next three years, giving the franchise exceptional rebuild fuel regardless of where the team finishes.

• 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 its skill-position and secondary talent, headlined by a 99 overall receiver and a 91 overall corner; the weakest spot is the interior offensive line, where both center and right guard rank near the bottom of the league.

• Chigh

  Jalen Sundell (69 overall) is the starter at a position ranked 31st among all 32 teams, making center the single most urgent upgrade on the roster.

• RGhigh

  Anthony Bradford (72 overall) starts at right guard, a spot ranked 27th leaguewide, leaving a second interior offensive line hole that compounds the center weakness.

• SAMhigh

  Tyrice Knight (75 overall) starts at SAM linebacker but the position ranks 12th of 13 in a thin position group, signaling a clear need for a quality upgrade.

• REDGEmedium

  Derick Hall leads the right edge with Uchenna Nwosu backing him up, but the starter slot ranks 26th leaguewide and the depth question makes this a priority to address.

• TEmedium

  A.J. Barner (75 overall) is the starter at a position ranked 26th leaguewide, and the depth behind him is thin enough that a capable upgrade or developmental piece would help significantly.

• WILLlow

  Drake Thomas (75 overall) starts at WILL linebacker in a spot ranked 21st leaguewide, though the depth chart here is the third-deepest in the league, softening the urgency.

• 78Jarran ReedDTJarran Reed is the third defensive tackle on the depth chart behind Williams and Murphy II, and releasing him frees $3.5M against $3.9M in dead money, making the savings modest but the roster spot valuable for a younger option.Frees $3.5M · $3.9M dead
• 67Eric SaubertTEEric Saubert sits third on the tight end depth chart at 67 overall, and cutting him clears $1.7M while leaving only $470K in dead money, an easy cap cleanup at a position where better options are needed anyway.Frees $1.7M · $470.0K dead
• 67Drew LockQBDrew Lock is the backup quarterback at 67 overall with no path to the starting job, and his release frees $2.3M against just $500K in dead money, making it a straightforward savings move.Frees $2.3M · $500.0K dead
• 76Uchenna NwosuREDGEUchenna Nwosu backs up Derick Hall at right edge and also appears third on the SAM depth chart, but his release frees $11.0M against $9.0M in dead money, so the team must weigh whether the $2.0M net savings justifies absorbing that dead cap hit.Frees $11.0M · $9.0M dead
• 57Patrick O'ConnellMIKEPatrick O'Connell is the second linebacker on the MIKE depth chart at just 57 overall, and cutting him costs nothing in dead money while freeing $1.1M, making him the cleanest roster cut available.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

Seattle enters this window in a strong position, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba operating as one of the most dangerous weapons in the game and Sam Darnold providing competent, Star-trait quarterbacking to support him. The defense is built around a talented young safety in Nick Emmanwori, a rising interior piece in Byron Murphy II, and Devon Witherspoon holding down the cornerback room, while DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams provide proven veteran leadership up front. Lawrence is entering the late stage of his career and Williams is not far behind, so succession on the defensive line is something to begin planning around rather than ignoring. The interior offensive line is the most pressing structural problem, with the center and right guard spots both ranking near the bottom of the league, and the team will need to invest real resources there to protect Darnold and open running lanes for Zach Charbonnet. The cap picture is genuinely healthy, with only $1.8M in dead money, $15.0M in rollover, and committed money dropping sharply from $267.0M next season to $176.7M the year after, giving the front office real flexibility to attack those needs. Three first-rounders across the upcoming draft cycle give this rebuild additional fuel, and the young core of Smith-Njigba, Emmanwori, and Murphy II ensures the team is building toward something sustainable rather than riding a short veteran window.

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.