The Seahawks are already almost done with their training camp schedule already.
The team has three more days of camp, and the first preseason game is less than a week away. This time next month, the Seahawks will be preparing for their Week 1 opener against the division rival 49ers.
This offseason, the Seahawks made several bold moves. The team shipped out Geno Smith and signed Sam Darnold as his replacement. Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were brought in to replace Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf at receiver as well.
Even with such a busy offseason, the Seahawks are in a good position financially. Over the Cap has the Seahawks sitting at around $34 million in remaining cap space, which is the sixth-most in the league. Next offseason, the Seahawks are expected to have around $53 million to spend, which should be near the top of the league.
With some of that money, the team will likely choose to extend standout corner Riq Woolen. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report recently identified the most important contract decision each team has to make soon, and for the Seahawks, Moton identified Woolen.
Regarding Woolen, Moton offered the following analysis:
As a 2022 fifth-rounder out of UTSA, Woolen made a strong case for Defensive Rookie of the Year over New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who won the award. In that year, Woolen tied three other players with a league-leading six interceptions and recorded a stingier passer rating allowed (48.7) and completion rate (51.5 percent) than Gardner.
Woolen hasn't made a Pro Bowl roster since his rookie year, but he's still performing at a high level, registering 25 pass breakups and five interceptions while playing for two different coaching regimes over the previous two years. He's yet to allow a passer rating over 80 in a season. Woolen should be a prime candidate for an in-season contract extension.
As Moton mentioned, Woolen could have easily won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022. The corner earned a Pro Bowl selection during his rookie campaign and was one of the steals of his draft class.
Even though Woolen hasn't returned to the Pro Bowl, he's still been a serviceable corner. In each of his three seasons, Woolen has ended with at least two interceptions and 11 pass deflections. The corner earned a 67.9 Pro Football Focus grade in 2024, which ranked 64th among 222 qualified corners.
Spotrac projects Woolen to land a four-year deal worth $16 million annually. The Seahawks could easily afford to offer this deal, and it would be wise to keep a young, talented corner like Woolen around. With Woolen and Devon Witherspoon, the Seahawks have one of the better cornerback duos in the league.