The Seattle Seahawks are 5-2, and looking to maintain their NFC West division lead with a win in Week 9 over the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football.
With a strong roster, the Seahawks’ only major trade deadline need falls along the offensive line, as the pass protection and run blocking could be improved for the second half of the year.
But, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Seahawks are drawing trade interest in two of their younger defensive standouts. Schefter reports teams have reached out to Seattle about two players: Boye Mafe and Riq Woolen.
Seahawks’ Riq Woolen, Boye Maye drawing trade interest
“Teams have inquired to the Seattle Seahawks about the availability of standout linebacker Boye Mafe and former Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen, sources told ESPN on Saturday,” Schefter reports.
While teams are expressing interest in both of these young defensive standouts, the Seahawks don’t want to move either.
“Seattle hasn’t wanted to trade Mafe or Woolen, according to sources,” Schefter reports, “but it will be interesting to see how aggressive another team might be ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.”
Seattle could use Mafe or Woolen to acquire more draft capital, which in turn could be used to land an offensive lineman or another wide receiver in the wake of Cooper Kupp’s injury.
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With Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Devon Witherspoon, and Charles Cross in line to earn a massive payday, moving on from Woolen and Mafe might make some sense.
Mafe is signed to Seattle through the end of the 2025 season, and if the Seahawks aren’t planning to extend him, he could be a reasonable trade candidate. The same can be said for Woolen, who is also in the final year of his deal.
Trading away players as a contender is a risky move, but Seattle has a few options to replace Mafe and Woolen if they’re moved.
It’s worth keeping an eye on Seattle at the upcoming trade deadline, as both Mafe and Woolen could be traded. Seattle is in a position to be aggressive at the deadline, and it could feature moving on from expiring contracts to land long-term capital.
