Boye Mafe
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ESPN's Aaron Schatz predicted Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Seattle Seahawks have quite a bit of cap space for a defending Super Bowl champion. That should help the Seahawks re-sign a lot of their key free agents this offseason. But edge rusher Boye Mafe might be one unrestricted free agent who gets away.
That’s what ESPN’s Aaron Schatz predicted over the weekend. Tasked with naming one free agent who will sign with each team, Schatz argued Mafe will sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“The Eagles could use more help on the edge to rotate with Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt, and Mafe had an outstanding season for the Super Bowl champions in 2025,” wrote Schatz.
“Although Mafe had only two sacks, he added 33 pressures. His 18.7% pass rush win rate was eighth among edge rushers and his 11.4% pressure rate was 17th. Mafe is quick and still in his prime, turning 28 in late November.”
In 17 games during the 2025 regular season, Mafe posted 31 combined tackles, including four tackle for loss. He also had five pass defenses, four quarterback hits, two sacks and one forced fumble.
Spotrac projected Mafe’s market value to be about $36.7 million on a 3-year contract this offseason.
Why Seahawks Might Not Make Boye Mafe a Free Agency Priority
As Schatz indicated, Mafe posted strong analytics. But the writing was on the wall during the season that his future probably wouldn’t be in Seattle.
Two years ago, Mafe started every contest he played for the Seahawks. Last season, his starts dropped to 11 in 15 contests. Then this past season, he started just four games.
In 2025, Mafe didn’t start again after Week 5.
As expected, his playing time dropped too. Mafe played just 50% of Seattle’s defensive snaps in 2025, which was his lowest percentage since 2022. He played more snaps during 2024 than 2025 despite playing in two fewer games.
Seattle’s strength at edge rusher was in its numbers, not with one star leading the way. Losing Mafe will hurt because he was a key member of the defense’s pass rush rotation.
But with fellow outside linebackers DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall under contract for next season, the Seahawks can afford to lose Mafe. Defensive end Leonard Williams is set to be back in 2026 for Seattle as well.
Over four seasons, Mafe registered 164 combined tackles, including 24 tackles for loss for Seattle. He also had 20 sacks and 14 pass defenses in 65 games.