Head coach Mike Macdonald got his team to 10 wins despite a frustrating offensive display and installing a new scheme in 2024. A narrow miss for the division title ultimately led to the Seahawks missing the playoffs entirely. Those who were a part of the group and looking for revenge time year better make their shot count in 2025, however. This is a Seahawks team with several players would could be phased out for one reason or another after this season.
Who are the players with the muddiest futures? Here are five prominent Seahawks starters who may be elsewhere in 2026 for their own unique reasons.
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Noah Fant, Tight End
Fant is entering into a contract year in 2025 after signing a robust two-year, $21 million contract extension to stay in Seattle in the spring of 2024. Fant's production suffered a great deal for a handful of reasons last year, including the emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba as a high-volume target player and the frustrating offensive limitations the Seahawks battled through all year.
Seattle, however, has teased the future at tight end by drafting AJ Barner in the fourth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft and then selection Elijah Arroyo in the second-round of the 2025 NFL Draft this past spring. For a player averaging $10.5 million per season and set to hit free agency after the season, the signs aren't promising for another go in Seattle after 2025.
Abraham Lucas, Right Tackle
Lucas started the 2024 season on the PUP list and was not activated until early November — only to miss Week 18 with an abdomen injury. It's the second straight season he's missed double digit games, which sets the stage for a "do-or-die" contract year in 2025.
Seattle's offensive line needs a lot more stability, as a result Lucas may need to get a fresh start elsewhere in 2026. If he's back with the team, one would have to imagine it will be on a low-guarantee contract amid some of the alarming medical flags on his resume through three NFL seasons.
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Kenneth Walker III, Running Back
This is not a talent issue, let's be clear about that.
And the production dip that Walker III saw in 2024? Much of that can be attributed to some woeful interior offensive line play — Walker III averaged just 1.7 yards before contact per rush last season, a full yard below what he was given in each of his first two seasons in the NFL.
But Walker III is an expiring contract after this season who has seen his carries go down in each of the last two seasons. He missed 6 games all together last season with injury. And the offense is in the midst of a total makeover — with Walker III serving as a holdover from Pete Carroll's era with the team. All of that adds up to some uncertainty for the future that can only be resolved with an undeniably strong performance in 2025.
Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE Defender
It wasn't all that long ago that Nwosu was a breakout sensation in Seattle. In 2022, Nwosu was tremendous but injuries have cost him 11 games in each of the last two seasons and as a result, he agreed to a re-worked contract this spring that yielded nearly a $7 million pay cut to stay with Seattle.
Nwosu will turn 29 years old in December and is indeed still scheduled to be under contract with Seattle in 2026 — but he'll need to stay healthy to earn the right to play for the $11 million salary he's scheduled to receive. If not, Seattle may be better served cutting him loose and using the cash to extend fellow pass rusher Boye Mafe, who is emerging in the prime of his career and scheduled to become a free agent after this season.
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Coby Bryant, Safety
The worry for Bryant has nothing to do with medical flags, like Abraham Lucas, Uchenna Nwosu, and Kenneth Walker III. There's no concern about poor value to his contract, either. The concern here is that Bryant, as an emerging standout, may price himself out of Seattle's market when it's all said and done given the other names needing contracts in the secondary.
He's an impressive talent who cut down on missed tackles, created more splash plays in coverage and played a career-high in snaps on both defense and special teams in 2024. Entering into his fourth season in the NFL, Bryant should be considered a viable long-term starter in the prime of his career.
Safety contracts are on the up, however. The Seahawks just went hard after another safety, Nick Emmanwori, in the NFL Draft as well. With the Seahawks also needing long-term deals for Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon in the secondary, plus Julian Love playing on an $11 million annual average salary through 2027, Bryant may play himself into a big contract elsewhere next spring.
