The Seattle Seahawks are likely to have a few players leave in free agency, which means 12s should get used to new players being added the same way. One potential fit in Seattle could be cornerback Eric Stokes, but he shouldn't be.
General manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald could see Riq Woolen and/or Josh Jobe sign elsewhere. Price might be a factor, especially for Woolen, who could get as much as $14 million on the open market. Jobe would probably be a less expensive player to re-sign.
Schneider could choose to replace either Woolen or Jobe in the 2026 NFL draft, but what if both walk away? That is certainly a possibility. Replacing both in the draft would likely be a mistake.
Seattle Seahawks should not risk signing Eric Stokes in free agency
Stokes was recently linked to Seattle by Randy Gruzi of Sports Illustrated's Seahawks site, writing, "They could also roll the dice on Eric Stokes, who has been good at times but lacks consistency." That is scary unto itself.
It is true that the cornerback did play well for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025 overall, as he had a good quarterback rating allowed of only 77.2. He was also solid in run support, but the general numbers belie how good he can be from week to week. After not allowing a completion in Weeks 2 and 3, for instance, he allowed seven of 10 targets to be completed between Weeks 4 and 6.
The Seahawks have had to deal with Riq Woolen's mercurial play for the last three seasons (he was good as a rookie, however), and the inconsistency can be maddening. Woolen compounded that by, at times, being good for a half and then terrible the next.
But Woolen also did something that Stokes hasn't proven to be capable of. Seattle's cornerback has 12 interceptions in four seasons, plus a forced fumble. Stokes, in five seasons, has just one pick and no forced fumbles. His interception came as a rookie in 2021.
Mike Macdonald's defense prides itself on creating turnovers, which was a key part of the unit's success this past season. The Seahawks had 25 takeaways, sixth-most in the league. Eric Stokes doesn't seemingly have the ability to help improve that number further.
According to Spotrac, Stokes is projected to get an offer in free agency that pays him $7.4 million a season over the next three years. That might not be much less than what Woolen is offered, though fans will learn more once free agency unofficially gets underway on Monday. If the numbers are close, even the more mercurial Woolen is a safer bet than Stokes.
Most likely, neither is a great option. Riq Woolen can take the ball away, sure, but he also gives up too many untimely splash plays. Eric Stokes would basically be a new Mike Jackson, who the Seattle Seahawks traded a couple of seasons ago: He is solid in coverage, but not transformative overall.