Running back George Holani signed his exclusive rights free agent tender with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, the team announced.
Seattle Seahawks Offseason Tracker: Signings, draft picks and more
An exclusive rights free agent is a player with fewer than three accrued NFL seasons who has an expiring contract. If the player receives a one-year contract offer at the league minimum from his original team, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. As a player with two seasons of service time, Holani is slated to make $1.075 million in 2026, per Spotrac.
An undrafted free agent out of Boise State in 2024, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound Holani has carved out a role as a depth running back and special teams contributor with the Seahawks. And he stepped up in the playoffs last season to help fill the void created by Zach Charbonnet’s season-ending ACL injury.
Holani, 26, rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries in 11 regular season games in 2025, adding another 15 yards on two receptions. He landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Nov. 29 that kept him out for the final six games of the regular season and Seattle’s first playoff game. But he returned in the NFC Championship to an expanded role after Charbonnet tore his ACL the week prior.
It's George Holani's turn for a @Seahawks TD!
21-0 in Seattle 😮
AZvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/M1IUPjLTrL
— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
Holani, who had played just 36 offensive snaps in the regular season, played a career-high 23 against the Rams in the NFC Championship. He set a new career high just two weeks later when he played 24 offensive snaps against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The second-year back had just a combined 10 yards on five carries in those games, but he came up with some key catches in each contest while totaling 34 yards on four receptions. He also stood out for his work as a pass protector.
Holani’s performance in the playoffs drew some unprompted praise from general manager John Schneider when he spoke with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob last Thursday.
“The one thing that got overlooked in those last two games, and I was talking to Mike (Macdonald) about this, George … was awesome in the NFC championship game and he was awesome in the Super Bowl,” Schneider said on March 12. “His pass protection, he made that catch (in the NFC Championship) for the first down that was a real huge play for us. Every time he goes in the game, he just performs.”
“The pass protection stuff was elite,” Schneider added.
In addition to his role on offense, Holani played 133 special teams snaps and handled some kickoff return duties last season. He averaged 24.2 yards on 16 returns with a long of 34 yards. He also came up with one the key plays early in the season for the Seahawks during a kickoff in Week 2 against Pittsburgh, jumping on a live ball in the end zone for a touchdown after Steelers return man Kaleb Johnson didn’t attempt to recover it. That play gave Seattle a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
With Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III leaving in free agency to join the Kansas City Chiefs and Charbonnet expected to miss time early next season while recovering from his ACL injury, Holani has a chance to carve out a bigger role in Seattle’s backfield in 2026.
More Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage
• The Seattle Seahawks free agent signing Brock is most intrigued by
• Why Seahawks should be able to withstand new ‘millionaire tax’
• Seahawks officially announce signing of safety Rodney Thomas II
• Report: Seattle Seahawks agree to deal with CB Noah Igbinoghene
• Seattle Seahawks officially re-sign NT Brandon Pili