With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, writing on the wall for the Seattle Seahawks is clear: chase another ring. That, of course, starts with the roster. Kicking off their usual February business, headlined by names like quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Cooper Kupp’s vesting options, the front office didn’t take long to secure its roster of the future.

On Friday, the Seahawks front office officially allowed seven key contracts to vest, guaranteeing a massive $47.7 million to keep their core intact:

Darnold secured the biggest payday among the group with two guarantees vested: a $15 million roster bonus and $2.5 million of his $12.3 million base salary for 2026.

While Kupp was mostly seen as a bubble candidate who might return or retire, for the next season, at least, he is also secure. He will have $9 million of his $12.99 million base salary for 2026 fully guaranteed. Similarly, the other Seahawks who have clauses in contracts that become guaranteed, according to Over the Cap, are:

Tony's Top Prospects For QB For SEAHAWKS

VIEW ALL TONY'S PICKS ON THE BIG BOARD

• Right tackle Abraham Lucas—$6.596 million 2026 base salary.
• Punter Michael Dickson—$2.7 million 2026 base salary.
• Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence—$5 million of $8.15 million base salary for 2026.
• Defensive tackle Jarran Reed—$2 million of $5.49 million base salary for 2026.
• Linebacker Ernest Jones IV—$5 million of $7.9 million base salary for 2026.

These vesting dates are an important component of the Seahawks’ long-term player retention policy, which they like to call “pay-as-you-go” philosophy. Seattle heads into 2026 with $75M of cap space against a projected $303M league threshold. And this policy can be quite interesting to help them make further decisions.

How the Seahawks use their first-season guarantee policy and their future steps

The franchise does not guarantee salary in contracts beyond the first season. This allows Seattle to use rolling guarantees (vesting dates in February of each year) to keep its options open.

Further, the Seahawks opt for this philosophy to circumvent NFL funding rules, requiring all future guaranteed money owed to players of more than $15 million to be placed in escrow, as per the Seattle Times.

While providing financial relief to the franchise, this policy also allows players to secure the money quickly, instead of waiting till summer. It also presents them with a clear picture of their future with the team before the start of the NFL free-agent negotiating period, which begins March 9.

There are undoubtedly many decisions that Seattle needs to make moving forward. With that, we can certainly hear more contract decisions moving forward to adjust their cap limit.

Darnold can very well see his two years and two void years remaining in the contract get restructured. Around $11 million of his base salary can be converted into a bonus, spreading it over each of the remaining four years. It will effectively cut his 2026 cap hit down from $37.9 million to $29.65 million, saving and $8.25 million for the team.

Ernest Jones IV, Julian Love, and Abraham Lucas are also on the same boat as Darnold. While not carrying as big a relief, they can be helpful as we move closer to free agency. At the same time, Seattle can also extend or trade Uchenna Nwosu, Leonard Williams, and Jason Myers to create more space.

Still, of all the names, Kupp was a question mark for many heading into 2026 as the WR soon turns 33 years old in June. But more than his age, the blindspot was his production.

The veteran is not a one-man army. In the 2025-26 season, he recorded 2.9 receptions compared to a career average of 5.7, along with 37.1 yards instead of his 69.7 career average, and two touchdowns compared to a career average of eight. While his numbers have taken a hit, his salary and its cap hit will increase over the 2026 season. After having a $9.47 million cap hit in 2025, Kupp’s salary of $12.99 million will lead to a $17.47 million cap hit.

The Seahawks could either rework his contract to avoid this increased cap hit or trade the veteran receiver moving forward.

If a trade involving Cooper Kupp materializes, it will help Seattle to retain fellow receiver and punt returner Rashid Shaheed, who enters free agency and was an integral part of the dynamic Seahawks’ offense.

The Seahawks face an important decision regarding Rashid Shaheed’s free agency

While having one of the most dominant defenses in the league, the Seattle Seahawks’ special teams provided the franchise with an incredible advantage throughout this Super Bowl-winning season. A crucial component of this increased production from the special teams was wideout Rashid Shaheed, who excelled in his role as the punt returner, recording a 14.7-yard average on 23 punt returns.

He also completed a 58-yard punt return touchdown during the season while setting career highs in several categories. He only had a pair of touchdowns, but he racked up 687 yards on just 59 receptions. Hence, veteran journalist Ben Strauss has urged the Seahawks to retain Shaheed in the upcoming free agency.

“One of Seattle’s advantages over other teams is their strong special teams unit. That includes Shaheed as a returner,” Strauss wrote. “Shaheed has a market value of $14.13 million, which should make his next contract the biggest payday in his professional career. That is an acceptable price for Seattle to pay on a short-term contract. But I don’t think they should want to pay much more than that.”

With these key decisions looming in the offseason, the Seattle Seahawks must make the right calls to ensure they have the perfect roster to ensure this year’s Super Bowl win doesn’t end up being a one-time title.