Seahawks and Patriots Can Spend Big in Free Agency After Super Bowl

Regardless of who wins Super Bowl LX, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots are both going to have a tough time keeping their core roster together during the offseason.

The looming free agency period is going to bring inevitable change to both rosters. The Seahawks are at risk of losing more players than the Pats, but both teams are also in the top 11 in effective cap space.

With only a few days remaining until all 32 NFL franchises are in the offseason, here’s a look at which Super Bowl participants could be headed to new pastures in the spring, and why both teams have the means to upgrade their rosters.

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Super Bowl Stars Lost to Free Agency?

The Seahawks are expected to have $63 million in effective cap space when free agency opens on March 11, giving them the sixth-highest amount of money to spend on new players.

Enticing new recruits to join a team that was just in the Super Bowl should be an easy task. However, they could struggle to hold onto their players, especially if they win on Sunday, and the players decide they’re ready to maximize their value on the open market after accomplishing their goal of winning a Super Bowl.

Three of Seattle’s top secondary members - Coby Bryant, Josh Jobe, and Riq Woolen - are all unrestricted free agents at the end of the year. That could prove to be an enormous deal, since the Seahawks’ defense ranked first in points allowed per game and second in EPA per play.

Running back Kenneth Walker III is also out of a contract after Sunday. That puts the Seahawks in a difficult position since fellow running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL earlier in the playoffs.

Mid-season trade acquisition Rashid Shaheed, a speedy deep threat receiver and special teams ace, and pass-rusher Boye Mafe are also free agents. 

While none of the players mentioned are perennial All-Pros, they were part of a team that posted the highest average scoring margin in the league and could be crowned Super Bowl champions in just a few days. General Manager John Schneider has done a masterful job of building a roster, but he’ll have an important task nonetheless. 

Patriots Ready to Spend Big Again?

The Patriots are projected to have $37.7 million in effective cap space, the 11th-most in the league. Unlike the Seahawks, the majority of their potential losses wouldn’t have much of an impact on their bottom line.

The most valuable impending free agent is 26-year-old edge-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson. The LSU product recorded a career-high 7.5 sacks this season and leads the playoffs in pressures, but he still hasn’t lived up to his billing after the Jacksonville Jaguars picked him 20th in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Strong safety Jaylinn Hawkins is the other starter who is out of contract at the end of the season. The 28-year-old is in his second year with New England and just played the best season of his career, and he’ll be looking for a significant pay raise.

After those two, the only other impending free agent of real note is veteran tight end Austin Hooper. At 31, finished the year with 21 receptions for 363 yards and two touchdowns and logged one reception for 14 yards in the postseason. 

The Patriots proved last spring that they weren’t afraid to be aggressive in free agency. While they don’t have the most cap space in the league, they also don’t have many outgoing players, giving them another opportunity to swing big and prepare for another Super Bowl run.