We're just over a week into NFL free agency, and the Seahawks have already gone through a decent bit of roster churn. Seattle said goodbye to multiple big-time starters and has opted against spending big money on outside free agents, so let’s dive into some takeaways about the transactions so far.

Rashid Shaheed's return is a surprise, but a welcome one

Entering his first free agency on the back of a fantastic playoff run, Rashid Shaheed felt destined for a big payday that would have priced him out of a return to Seattle, much like Kenneth Walker and Tariq Woolen. Shaheed definitely received that payday in the form of a three-year, 51 million deal from Seattle. 17 million per year is a bit tough to swallow for the18-266-0 receiving line that Shaheed posted in Seattle.

But you have to factor in his limited time with the playbook and his excellent work as a return man. Looking under the hood, Shaheed’s deal has an out after the first year, giving Seattle flexibility if he can’t find his footing in the offense. Overall, this deal is a lot more palatable than it looks at first glance, and it allows Seattle to focus on addressing a bigger area of needs in the draft while maintaining continuity in the receiver room.

Seattle believes in Ty Okada

Ty Okada emerged as a reliable depth option in his second season with Seattle, playing 758 total snaps after just 33 as a rookie. He was a reliable tackler with a 10.8% missed tackle rate and was fine in coverage, allowing 23 catches on 35 targets. With Nick Emmanwori seemingly the main slot corner for Seattle moving forward, Okada will slot in next to Julian Love full-time at free safety. Coby Bryant’s three-year, $40 million deal with the Chicago Bears is affordable enough that Seattle could have matched, but the way Mike Macdonald talks about Okada makes it easy to see why he’s being given this opportunity.

The running back room feels like a gamble

Seattle seems confident that Zach Charbonnet will return fairly early in the 2026 season, or at least their management of the position this offseason suggests. John Schneiderspokeabout the situation recently, and while it’s nice to hear that Charbonnet is attacking his rehab, not having a genuine fallback option at this point is scary. The backfield will likely be split between George Holani and free agent signing Emanuel Wilson. Wilson has functioned as Josh Jacobs' main backup in Green Bay for the last two seasons, handling a combined 232 carries for 1,007 yards.

That mark of just over 4.3 yards per carry is solid, and he’s likely to be a fine player for Seattle, just nothing special. Holani is the wildcard. Seattle has faith in him, but he has just 30 total carries in two years and feels like nothing more than a guy who can take a couple of carries when the starter is gassed. Seattle spending a day two selection on a running back feels inevitable, even in this weaker class, because Charbonnet is on the final year of his rookie deal, and Wilson only signed a one-year contract. It’s a big gamble, but one from a franchise that has an eye for the position, so John Schneider gets the benefit of the doubt right now.