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Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen addresses reporters during Super Bowl week as projections link the $8.2 million free agent to a potential move to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2026 NFL free agency.
Predicted to fetch a prominent role in free agency, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen is drawing strong buzz that he could sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason — a move that would give the Jaguars needed depth at outside cornerback behind 2025 No. 2 overall draft pick Travis Hunter. In fact, in a Friday roundup of free agency predictions, ESPN.com analyst Aaron Schatz has the 26-year-old Woolen signing with the AFC South champions.
Despite being something of a polarizing figure on the reigning Super Bowl champions due to repeated on-field mistakes and multiple fines last season, Woolen’s combination of size — at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds — and coverage ability — evidenced by a top-15 finish in Schatz’s coverage DVOA metric, which represents a player’s overall value — presents an appealing target for a Jaguars secondary that can ill afford to lose Montaric Brown or Greg Newsome II in free agency.
Woolen’s physical profile — taller and more imposing than the slight-framed Hunter — could make him a complementary shutdown piece on the boundary and address one of Jacksonville’s biggest defensive questions heading into the 2026 campaign. NFL evaluators note that while Woolen’s inconsistency cost him snaps with the Seahawks at times, his playmaking upside and ability to handle bigger wideouts make him one of the more intriguing cornerback fits in a stacked AFC South market.
Why Is Woolen Predicted to Sign With Jacksonville?
While clearly a unique talent, 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Hunter was drafted No. 2 by Jacksonville due to his ability to play both offense and defense. But the Jaguars limited Hunter’s snaps at wide receiver in his rookie year, and then the former Colorado Buffalo suffered a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 31.
When he returns, the Jaguars now plan to confine Hunter’s time on the field to the cornerback position, “but the Jaguars still need another CB starter on the outside if Brown and Newsome leave in free agency,” Schatz wrote.
Woolen would make an obvious and economical choice. After finishing his four-year, $4 million rookie contract in Seattle, the 2022 Pro Bowl corner is projected by the sports business site Spotrac to command a relatively modest $8.2 million, one-year deal on the open market.
What Is Woolen’s Value Relative to Other Cornerbacks?
Schatz explains his DVOA metric as measuring a player’s or team’s efficiency “by comparing success on every single play to a league average based on situation and opponent.”
“Woolen has stirred some controversy in Seattle and was benched briefly a couple of times last season due to mistakes. But he still ranked 12th in the league in my coverage DVOA metric. He’s also a larger (6-4, 210 pounds), more physical corner who could cover receivers who might be too big for the slight-framed Hunter,” Schatz wrote in his ESPN.com prediction.
According to the evaluator’s final rankings, Woolen in the 12th spot recorded a DVOA of minus-27.4 percent. For comparison, the NFL leader in DVOA was Jamel Dean of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at minus-46.6 percent.
The Seahawks finished a close second in what Schatz calls DAVE rating, which includes slight downward adjustments for defense and special teams. Seattle finished at 36 percent to the Los Angeles Rams’ 39.3 percent in the overall rating system.
The Seahawks’ Super Bowl 60 opponents, the New England Patriots, came in as the third-most efficient team with a DAVE rating of 23.6 percent.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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