The start of NFL free agency is drawing nearer, as are a number of important decisions the Seattle Seahawks will have to make.
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Among the number of key players set to hit free agency for the Seahawks is edge rusher Boye Mafe, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft.
In his four seasons in Seattle, Mafe has totaled 24 tackles for loss, 20.0 sacks, 14 passes defended and three forced fumbles. That included a breakout campaign in which the Minnesota product produced a career-high 9.0 sacks and set a franchise record with at least one sack in seven consecutive games in 2023.
Mafe’s production dipped this year with just four tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, the latter being a career low. That doesn’t quite tell the full story, though. He ranked eighth in ESPN’s pass-block win rate among edge rushers and had 40 quarterback pressures, only one fewer than teammate Derick Hall.
However, Mafe still seems unlikely to be re-signed by the Seahawks. If he leaves in free agency, who could the they target to bring in as a new edge player? Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus weighed in during his Four Down Territory segment Monday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
Bumpus also factored in the potential of edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence not being back in 2026. Lawrence still has two years left on the three-year deal he signed last offseason, but there is an out in his contract before next season, according to Spotrac. There’s also the possibility Lawrence, who will be 34 next season, decides to go out on top after winning his first Lombardi Trophy. After all, he came to Seattle to win a Super Bowl.
“We’ll say Boye Mafe does not come back and D-Law does not come back, you got some money to spend even though you do have to pay (Jaxon Smith-Njigba),” said Bumpus, referencing an expected contract extension for star wide receiver Smith-Njigba. “The top of the wish list would be Jaelan Phillips out of out of Philly. … Then after that, man, you’re going bargain shopping.”
Phillips, 26, was a first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and spent four-plus seasons with the team before being traded to the Eagles in November. He had seven tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, four passes defended, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 17 games with the Dolphins and Eagles last season. His 73 quarterback pressures were ninth among edge rushers, per Pro Football Focus.
Jaelan Phillips breaks through for the sack!
DETvsPHI on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/f7jDLYG550
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025
In 63 career games over five seasons, he’s amassed 32 tackles for loss, 28.0 sacks, 11 passes defended, five fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception.
Spotrac lists Phillips as being worth roughly $17.3 million per year. Mafe’s value comes in at $12.2 million. Both are projected for three-year deals.
“I’m looking at Jaelan Phillips. Man is gonna be expensive, but I think you get a lot out of him,” Bumpus said. “(In a) perfect world, Boye Mafe and D-Law both come back, though.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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