The Seahawks made a handful of moves Wednesday on what was the first day of the NFL’s new league year and the third of the free-agent negotiating period.
All were in keeping with what has been their strategy of trying to retain as much of their roster as possible to make another run at Super Bowl in 2026.
Seattle agreed to terms with one unrestricted free agent (offensive lineman Josh Jones), signed two restricted free agents (snapper Chris Stoll and safety A.J. Finley) and placed a right-of-first-refusal tender on RFA (receiver Jake Bobo), bringing to nine the number of free agents the Seahawks have kept.
What Seattle didn’t do is make a splash move on what might have been the last real day to do so.
Rush end Trey Hendrickson signed with the Ravens a day after Baltimore pulled out of its trade with the Raiders for Maxx Crosby.
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Meanwhile, multiple reports stated that Las Vegas may now just keep Crosby.
Seattle hadn’t been seriously connected to either, but speculation figured to loom as long as each was available.
Now, with Hendrickson off the table, only two of what were NFL.com’s top 100 free agents entering the week are still unsigned — Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray (widely expected to sign with the Vikings) and Green Bay offensive tackle Rasheed Walker (not a position the Seahawks need).
True, some big names are still out there such as receivers Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel as well as running back Rachaad White — a player at a position the Seahawks definitely do need to fill out at some point.
But as of Wednesday afternoon the Seahawks remained one of just two teams that had yet to sign an external free agent — the Denver Broncos were the other.
The Seahawks will break that trend eventually. As well as a running back, Seattle would appear to want to add a safety, a cornerback and a defensive lineman or two at some point.
But the Seahawks could well wait to do much of anything in terms of signing external free agents until after the draft, and until after the passing of the deadline for signings to impact the formula for awarding compensatory draft picks for 2027.
At the moment, the Seahawks would qualify for four comp picks in 2027 for the losses of Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen, Kenneth Walker III Walker and Coby Bryant, according to OvertheCap.com — a fourth-round pick and three fifths.
The knowledge that those might be coming could allow Seattle to trade the picks they for sure know they have in 2027 to acquire more for this year’s draft as the Seahawks have only four at the moment.
Regardless, loading up for the 2027 draft would fit with general manager John Schneider’s comment at the NFL combine when he said the 27 draft “may be stronger” than 2026 (which was one reason the team felt comfortable trading some of its 2026 draft picks).
Still, while it may seem the Seahawks haven’t done much, the upshot after the first wave of free agency is that while the Seahawks lost four key players from their Super Bowl run, they also return all but two players who started the game (Woolen and Mafe were not official starters).
The re-signing of Jones — who was the backup at both tackle spots and started the final three games of the regular season at left tackle when Charles Cross was injured — also means the Seahawks return every player who took a snap on the offensive line last season.
They were also earlier able to retain offensive line coach John Benton, who some had thought might follow Klint Kubiak to Las Vegas.
The Seahawks have rarely had that kind of continuity on the OL.
Tendering Bobo also seemed to speak to the Seahawks’ commitment to keeping the locker room culture that many credited as vital to the Super Bowl run.
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Bobo receiving a right-of-first-refusal tender meant he could get a salary of $3.52 million in 2026 if he makes the roster while Seattle can match any offer he might get as a restricted free agent. Bobo can continue to solicit offers until April 17.
Bobo caught just two passes for 20 yards in 11 regular season games in 2025 while battling a few injuries (including a concussion suffered in the preseason) and was a healthy scratch for two late-season games.
On paper, that’s not necessarily the resume of a player who gets an RFA tender — there were only 12 handed out around the league.
But Bobo is also an exceedingly popular figure in the locker room and a valuable special teams presence. His 17-yard TD catch in the NFC title game against the Rams showed his ability to make a big play when asked.
He also impressed the team by playing in the Super Bowl after having surgery to repair a fractured metacarpal suffered against the Rams.
The Seahawks named Bobo the special teams captain before the week 18 game against the 49ers, illustrating how coach Mike Macdonald views him.
“I love Jake,” teammate Cooper Kupp said late in the year. “The guys in here love him, and he’s been a big deal, big part of our thing this year.”
Bobo is not guaranteed to make that $3.52 million unless he’s on the initial 53-man roster — all of which would go against the 2026 cap if he were to get it — and what could happen is that the Seahawks work out a conventional contract at some point to bring down that cap hit while still assuring his role on the team.
Regardless, the Seahawks giving him a tender sent a pretty loud statement.
Re-signing Stoll to a two-year deal reported to be worth $2.905 million was also a given to happen at some point as he has been a steady snapper in his three years with the team.
And the signing of Finley is one that may be easy to overlook but probably shouldn’t be.
Seattle claimed Finley off waivers late in the 2024 season and he played in the final four games of that season on special teams.
He was making a run at a roster spot early in training camp in 2025 before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the mock game on Aug. 2.
“What a great person, what a great young person full of great spirit, incredibly smart, just treats everybody with such respect,” Macdonald said of Finley after it was revealed he would be lost for the season. “He’s got such a life about him, so it’s heartbreaking.”
If he’s fully recovered, Finley figures to again contend for a roster spot at a safety position where there is plenty of opportunity with the loss of Bryant.
Of the remaining unsigned free agents, the priority would figure to be tight end Brady Russell, who was named as the special teams captain for the Super Bowl and regarded as the leader in the special teams room all season.
If it seems like a quiet free agency, the Seahawks might remind you to recall the noise of Feb. 8 and the following week in downtown Seattle.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.