The Seattle Seahawks have moved to 9-7 on the season with a win (barely) over the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. One game remains against the Los Angeles Rams before the season comes to an end, and some are already looking towards next year. The Seahawks managed to have a better record in their first season under head coach Mike Macdonald than with Pete Carroll but that doesn’t mean it was pretty. As the season draws to a close there are some players who likely won’t be back with the Seahawks in 2025.
Three Seahawks Players Who May Not Be Back in 2025
Geno Smith
It’s fair to acknowledge that while Geno Smith hasn’t been the main issue for the Seahawks, Seattle needs more from the quarterback position. Smith can win games when asked of him, which he’s done, but he doesn’t have what it takes to be a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL. It’s proven time and time again that teams need a top quarterback to take them to the championship level. Except for the 49ers… any mid-talent quarterback seems to do the trick.
Smith has one year left on his contract and his cap hit for 2025 will be $38.5 million. If he is released, the Seahawks will take a hit of $26.2 million in dead cap. If he’s traded, they only take $13.5 million in dead cap.
Smith has proven enough to be a quality backup so a team with a struggling quarterback could very well look to add him one way or another.
Tyler Lockett
There has been some small talk that Seattle could trade away Lockett in the offseason. He has somewhat become obsolete in Seattle’s offense with the focus shifted on D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Rumors indicated he could’ve been on the move before the Nov. 5 trade deadline but nothing came of it.
While Lockett did renegotiate his contract this offseason, it doesn’t mean the Seahawks won’t consider moving him. Trading him for draft picks would be ideal, especially if they want to look to the draft for Smith’s replacement.
Tariq Woolen
The Seahawks stole Tariq ‘Riq’ Woolen right out of the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He had an incredible rookie season, posting six interceptions (tied for 1st in the NFL) and earning Pro Bowl honors. It finally seemed like Seattle was entering a new ‘Legion of Boom’ era. However, Woolen hasn’t performed up to the same standard in the last two seasons.
He had an extremely poor outing against Green Bay in Week 15 this year and even earned a fine for a roughing the passer call on quarterback Jordan Love. He followed it up with a slightly better (but still not great) game against the Vikings in Week 16.
Fans were quick to notice that Woolen was benched for the Seahawks’ first drive on defense against Minnesota. This was something head coach Mike Macdonald later said was due to a “team rule thing”. However, he sealed the win against the Bears in Week 17 with a last-minute interception.
The issues seem to be just as bad off the field as they are on the field. Woolen is becoming a liability in coverage and can’t seem to keep up with high-flying offenses.
Main Photo Courtesy of Daniel Bartel – Imagn Images
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