The Seattle Seahawks will try to defend their Super Bowl title, but their roster could see some attrition this offseason. That could start with defensive back Riq Woolen. Woolen compiled a PFSN CB Impact Score of 81.7 in 2025 and was excellent in the postseason.
Woolen was PFSN’s second-ranked cornerback behind only Jamel Dean on the free agent market, so he should garner a lot of interest if he hits the open market. Here are some of his top potential suitors should he become available.
Seattle Seahawks
With Woolen’s impact in Seattle this past season, the Seahawks should be doing everything they can to retain him for the immediate future. Of course, other players need contract extensions in the near future, including fellow defensive back Devon Witherspoon.
That does not even account for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is also eligible for a contract extension after the 2025 season.
Still, it is hard to win championships, and Seattle’s roster is in a unique situation: It is not paying its quarterback at the top of the market, unlike Sam Darnold, who signed a contract with an average value of $33.5 million.
Keeping Seattle’s defense together should be a priority for John Schneider, and “The Dark Side” deserves a chance to defend its title.
San Francisco 49ers
Of course, if Seattle does not re-sign Woolen, it could face competition within its own division.
The San Francisco 49ers are a team that could use help in the secondary with Raheem Morris taking over as defensive coordinator.
San Francisco’s cornerback situation on the outside is tenuous at best, and Woolen could bolster that group and provide another impact player for a defense that was short on them by the time the season ended.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles attempted to replace Darius Slay with Adoree Jackson, and the results were less than ideal, to say the least. They traded for Jaire Alexander at the trade deadline, but he retired before playing a snap in Philadelphia.
Now, they have an excellent outside corner in Quinyon Mitchell and one of the top slot corners, with Cooper DeJean manning the middle of the field.
The spot across from Mitchell was a revolving door in 2025, and the players the Eagles put there were not good enough. That could drive their interest in someone like Woolen to help build a secondary similar to the one that shut down the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are trying to rebuild their defense, and their secondary was a bit of a mess last season. They lost Trevon Diggs to injury and then released him before the season ended.
DaRon Bland could not replicate his historic season and struggled in 2025. The rest of the secondary also struggled and needs reinforcement. Woolen could be an impactful addition.
Important Dates in 2026 NFL Free Agency
The legal tampering period runs for 52 hours, opening Monday, March 9, at noon ET and closing at 3:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11, just minutes before free agency officially begins.
During that window, teams can negotiate with the certified agents of players set to become unrestricted free agents. Verbal agreements can be reached and reported, but nothing is official yet.
For the first time, teams can recruit up to five players and speak with each for up to 1 hour via video or phone, rather than routing all contact through agents. The player’s agent must be present on every call. If a team wants to meet a player in person or have him visit a facility, that still must wait until free agency is officially underway.
Free agency officially opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11, when the NFL’s new league year begins. That’s when contracts become official, not when they’re reported. The trading period also opens at that moment, allowing previously agreed-upon deals to be completed.
All teams must be cap-compliant by the 4 p.m. Wednesday deadline. The 2026 salary cap is set at $301.2 million, a $22 million increase from 2025.
Most of the market’s top players will have agreed to terms well before Wednesday afternoon. The tampering window exists to give that process structure. What’s new this year is that players themselves, not just their agents, can now hear directly from the teams pursuing them.
