Seahawks' 2026 Free Agents, Targets and Draft Needs After NFL Super Bowl 60 Win

The Seattle Seahawks didn't undergo a complete rebuild during the 2025 offseason, but they did make some significant changes. Those moves paid off with a Super Bowl LX title.

Entering Year 2 with head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks decided that their defense was trending in the right direction, but the offense needed a boost. General manager John Schneider traded away quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf. He then signed Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp in free agency.

Darnold proved that his 2024 Pro Bowl season with the Minnesota Vikings was no fluke. He earned his second Pro Bowl nod this past season, while helping to lead Seattle to the NFC's No. 1 seed. Even with a great defense, Seattle needed Darnold to deliver in the NFC Championship Game, and he did.

Of course, having the league's No. 1 scoring defense helped significantly throughout the year.

With Seattle's postseason run now coming to an end, let's examine what Macdonald and Schneider need to accomplish to have another successful offseason in 2026.

The coming months will bring plenty to the table, including free agency, which will officially open on March 11, and the 2026 draft, scheduled to begin on April 23. First, though, Schneider and Macdonald will have some of their own contracts to address.

Free Agents

AP Photo/Scot Tucker

Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed

Unrestricted Free Agents

S Coby Bryant

CB Shemar Jean-Charles

CB Josh Jobe

OT Josh Jones

Edge Boye Mafe

WR Rashid Shaheed

LB Chazz Surratt

RB Kenneth Walker III

CB Riq Woolen

WR Dareke Young

Restricted/Exclusive-Rights Free Agents

WR Jake Bobo

S A.J. Finley

RB George Holani

S Ty Okada

TE Brady Russell

LS Chris Stoll

C Jalen Sundell

LB Drake Thomas

The Seahawks have several key contributors slated to hit the open market, though they may be willing to let several of them go. Running back Kenneth Walker III, for example, may be viewed as expendable with Zach Charbonnet still under contract. Cornerback Riq Woolen was the subject of trade chatter this past season and, according to one source, wasn't viewed as a fit for Macdonald's defense.

"They've been wanting to move him for a while," an unnamed executive said, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Of course, there are many impending free agents the Seahawks should be eager to keep, including defensive back Coby Bryant, edge Boye Mafe, cornerback Josh Jobe, and receiver Rashid Shaheed, who was acquired at the trade deadline.

Seattle also has several restricted and equal-rights free agents who fit into the team's long-term plan. It would be a surprise to see Schneider let a player like Jake Bobo or Chris Stoll go elsewhere without making an effort to keep him first.

The Seahawks should have little trouble keeping their own and still making some moves on the free-agent and trade markets. The team is currently projected to have $75.6 million in 2026 cap space.

Potential Free-Agent/Trade Targets

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Edge Kyle Van Noy

Schneider has shown a willingness to trade for talent, most recently adding Shaheed to boost the receiving corps and return game. However, Seattle doesn't have many glaring weaknesses that would require chasing a big name like Maxx Crosby or D.J. Moore on the 2026 trade market.

If Seattle does look to make a deal, expect it to target a role player on an expiring contract, as it did with Shaheed—another blockbuster in the mold of the 2020 Jamal Adams trade probably isn't in the cards.

Expect players like interior lineman Mike Onwenu, receiver Darnell Mooney, and cornerback Kelee Ringo to be realistic trade targets for the Seahawks.

Seattle will probably look to skew younger in free agency, since it has a chance to build a long-term contender around players like Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Expect impending free agents like Greg Newsome II, Zion Johnson, Alec Pierce, and David Ojabo to interest Schneider.

Pierce could be a top target and potential long-term complement to Smith-Njigba, if he becomes available. Don't be surprised if Macdonald looks to bring in a couple of former Baltimore Ravens, too, like center Tyler Linderbaum, edge Kyle Van Noy, or tight end Isaiah Likely.

The Seahawks may be in the running-back market if they allow Walker to depart. Fortunately, the 2026 free-agent class is deep at the position and headlined by the likes of Breece Hall, Javonte Williams, and Rico Dowdle.

Draft Targets

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Ohio State OL prospect Kayden McDonald

Given the new trajectory of the franchise, the Seahawks may look to fill their biggest holes in the draft. Their Super Bowl window is just opening, and they have an opportunity to potentially run the NFC West for the next several seasons—several San Francisco 49ers vets are getting older, and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford won't play forever.

Finding a couple of future fixtures along the offensive line in April's draft would be ideal. Unsurprisingly, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department linked Seattle and Ohio State lineman Kayden McDonald in its post-regular season Mock Draft:

"The selling point for McDonald is obvious: He's a big dude (6'3", 326 lbs), who is powerful and displays impressive movement skills for his size," Matt Holder of the B/R Scouting Department said. "The Buckeye's technique and pass-rush arsenal need development, but he should be able to contribute as a run defender from Day 1 in the NFL."

Prospects like Clemson edge-rusher T.J. Parker, Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad, Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton, and Penn State interior lineman Olaivavega Ioane would also make plenty of sense for Seattle in Round 1. Don't be shocked, though, if Schneider chooses to trade down and acquire more middle-round draft selections.

The Seahawks are currently slated to have just four total picks, including one each in the first three rounds.

If Seattle sticks with its current crop of selections, prospects like Michigan edge-rusher Derrick Moore, San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, Texas A&M interior lineman Chase Bisontis, McDonald, and Alabama corner Domani Jackson should draw interest in Day 2.

Seattle's final selection will be in Round 2, and that might be where the Seahawks look to land a new complement for Charbonnet. Prospects like Indiana's Kaelon Black and Wake Forest's Demond Claiborne may be available in that range.

*Cap, contract and free-agent status information via Spotrac. Draft information via Tankathon