Predicting the fate of the Seahawks’ top 3 free agents in 2025

The 2025 offseason will be an interesting one for the Seattle Seahawks in terms of reserve numbers. According to Over the Cap, Seattle is currently well above the cap (negative $18,008,835), but there is no need to panic. Also, while the team may not be over the cap early in the season, Seattle’s “problem” is a bit misleading.

Seattle currently has 59 players under contract for next season. Only 53 of them will be on the active roster. This means that some of the negative cap will be removed because players are not on the active roster.

Of the top 13 teams in the league with the highest projected cap space next season, 11 have fewer players signed than Seattle. The Dallas Cowboys are a team that has more signed players than Seattle, but quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will be free agents next season, which will be very important for the Cowboys unless Dallas doesn’t bring them back.

Nearly every important Seahawks player, with the exception of the inside linebacker position, is already signed through at least 2025. The player cap is expected to increase again next offseason, so if Seattle keeps the same team mostly intact next season, Seattle shouldn’t have much trouble capping players. The most difficult decisions regarding who to re-sign may involve the following three players.

Safety Julian Love

Forecast: Re-signs with Seattle

Love was a Pro Bowler in 2023 despite not playing as much as he should have. His 4 interceptions were a career-high and tied for third among safeties. Love will likely be even better under new head coach Mike Macdonald. He certainly won’t have to beg for playing time like he did under former head coach Pete Carroll and former defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt.

Seattle’s problem is that good safeties make a lot more money now than they did a few years ago. The league’s 12 highest-paid guards have contracts that pay them an average of $10 million a year or more. If Love makes a second straight Pro Bowl this year, his asking price will likely exceed $10 million per season. The Seahawks have to pay this.

Defensive lineman Jarran Reed

Forecast: Leaves in free agency

Reed is still good against the pass – he has seven sacks in 2023 – but he isn’t great against the run. He will also turn 32 at the end of the 2024 season. The Seahawks are still trying to get younger, which makes Reed expendable.

It’s a safe guess that Mike Macdonald will bring out the best in Reed in 2024. He could get close to 10 sacks. However, this will only help him earn more with another team as it is unlikely he will return to Seattle.

Edge sprinter Darrell Taylor

Forecast: Leaves in free agency

This is a breakout season for Taylor not only as a member of the Seahawks, but also in the league. He has been extremely inconsistent in his passing throughout his career, and this is the only area in which he has been reasonably productive. He is either unable or unwilling to set a sharp edge while running.

There’s even a chance Taylor won’t qualify for the 2024 squad. If he doesn’t show improvement in running during training camp, Macdonald will likely have no use for him. It should be assumed that Taylor will be better in 2024, but if he reaches 10 or more sacks, he may be too expensive to re-sign.

More Seattle Seahawks coverage: