ESPN Names Seahawks CB as Player Under Pressure in 2025

The Seattle Seahawks have begun training camp and have a lot to prove after missing the playoffs last season. Perhaps no player on the Seahawks has more to prove than cornerback Riq Woolen.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell listed NFL players, coaches, and general managers under most pressure in the 2025 season, and Woolen landed on his list.

Woolen is entering the fourth year of his NFL career after being the Seahawks’ selection in the fifth round out of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Woolen began his Seahawks career on top of the mountain, and he’s been trying to reach those same heights ever since.

Consistency Issues

Riq Woolen was a revelation in his rookie season. Nobody expected a fifth-round rookie out of UTSA to be a major contributor. He became one of the best corners in the league that season. The then-rookie Seahawks CB led the NFL in interceptions with six in 2022 on his way to becoming a Pro Bowler, and finishing third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Aidan Hutchinson and Sauce Gardner.

Woolen was being compared to another fifth-round, tall Seahawks CB, Richard Sherman. The young corner looked to be on a path to greatness. 2023, however, was a step down for Woolen from a play-making standpoint, only reeling in two interceptions during the season. Also, Woolen had 10 fewer tackles than he did the year before.

Bill Barnwell writes in his ESPN article that, despite good coverage numbers, Woolen has frustrated the Seahawks with his tackling and inconsistency. Barnwell says, “Since returning from a knee injury in 2023, he has been benched at different times in each of the past two seasons, most recently in December for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.”

At 6’4, Woolen has rare size at his position that will make him a commodity, especially if he can become consistent. Entering the last year of his rookie deal, it may be now or never for Woolen in Seattle.

Make-or-Break Year

2025 is a make-or-break year for the Seahawks CB. Woolen is in the final year of his rookie deal. The team will likely want to see that Woolen is closer to the defensive back he was in 2022, rather than the inconsistent player he has been over the last two years, before paying him top corner money.

The Seahawks will also, in the near future, have to negotiate with star CB Devon Witherspoon, and despite having the fifth-year option, Seattle may opt to pay Witherspoon sooner rather than later.

The Seahawks will also have the ability to franchise tag Woolen, but it will be at a high price. Pro Football Network writer Brandon Austin projects a potential Woolen tag to be upwards of $20 million.

Austin writes, “Woolen is just 26 years old and possesses rare physical traits for the position. The projected 2026 franchise tag for cornerbacks is expected to be in the $21–22 million range. The Seattle Seahawks may tag him if they can’t get a deal done, keeping one of the best young corner duos intact.”

Woolen has all the tools to be an elite cornerback. 2022 is proof that when Woolen is focusing and consistent, he can be one of the best corners in the league. The pressure may be heating up on him heading into the season, but he has the ability to rise to the occasion.