When the Seattle Seahawks formally obtain their compensatory picks later this offseason, it’ll mark the primary time they’ll enter the NFL Draft with comp picks in hand since 2020. They’re projected to have fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-rounders for the departures of Damien Lewis, Jordyn Brooks, and Bobby Wagner.
The fundamental synopsis of the Seahawks’ lack of additional draft picks by way of the compensatory system: they’ve repeatedly signed as many or extra CFA eligible gamers than they’ve misplaced. Seattle additionally hasn’t misplaced any minority assistant coaches or entrance workplace executives to move coach or common supervisor positions, which might’ve additionally netted them two third-round picks over two years.
Why the Seahawks will doubtless not have any compensatory picks in 2026
Listed below are Seattle’s unrestricted free brokers for 2025:
TE Pharaoh Brown
LG Laken Tomlinson
RT Stone Forsythe
NT Jarran Reed
NT Johnathan Hankins
OLB Trevis Gipson
LB Ernest Jones
S Okay’Von Wallace
CB Tre Brown
CB Artie Burns
Jones and Reed seem like the probably candidates for re-signing. Tre Brown might be a distant third and he’d should be on a really low cost deal given his damage historical past and removing from the beginning lineup.
None of these different free brokers is prone to signal a contract massive sufficient to qualify for Compensatory Free Agent standing. Wallace and Hankins particularly had been UFAs who signed with Seattle on offers that didn’t meet the CFA threshold, and it’s nearly a certainty neither one in every of them will instantly be value a comp choose in the event that they go away.
Even when the Seahawks let go of Jones and Reed, whom I imagine has performed properly sufficient to get an CFA-worthy contract even at 33 years previous, the Seahawks would wipe out any comp choose risk by simply signing two CFAs. Are you aware the final time Seattle solely signed a most of 1 CFA who stayed on the roster? That will be 2015, when Ahtyba Rubin was added however the Seahawks misplaced Byron Maxwell, James Carpenter, Malcolm Smith, and O’Brien Schofield. Cary Williams misplaced his comp choose standing when the Seahawks reduce him.
Can launched gamers who turn out to be unrestricted free brokers turn out to be CFAs?
No. If Seattle had been to chop Geno Smith or Tyler Lockett, they don’t seem to be going to web draft compensation by signing elsewhere.
Can RFAs and ERFAs qualify for comp picks?
Restricted free brokers and unique rights free brokers who usually are not tendered turn out to be unrestricted free brokers, however they’re NOT comp choose eligible. Solely gamers who had been scheduled to enter the offseason as unrestricted free brokers can qualify for CFA standing.
The next offseason turns into much more attention-grabbing with the 2022 draft class eligible to hit the market (until Charles Cross has his fifth-year possibility picked up), however we’ll cross that junction when the time comes. Within the right here and now, Seattle’s offseason might be not going to yield something in the way in which of further draft capital.