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Winning a Super Bowl is fun, isn’t it? You’re on top of the world and keep watching the highlights over and over again. It’s great. But there’s a reason it feels so great, winning a championship in sports is hard. A large part of that difficulty comes from having to build a great team within the salary cap.

The hardest offseason any team will have is the one right after winning a championship. Every player who is an upcoming free agent thinks they’re one of the most valuable players on the team, and they usually end up getting big contracts on the open market.

As Seattle Seahawks fans, we know free agency hasn’t been kind to us for a lot of years. Names like Dre’Mont Jones, Jerome Baker, Luke Joeckel, and Cary Williams still haunt Seahawks fans. But last year things were different, with the signings of DeMarcus Lawrence, Cooper Kupp, and of course Sam Darnold.

If you want to go back to Seattle’s first Super Bowl win, they signed Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, who became Pro Bowlers and key pieces of Seattle’s legendary defense.

The good thing is that the Seahawks have $60.7 million in cap space, and they still have a ton of key pieces locked up. Other stars like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Nick Emmanwori are still on rookie deals. But they still have a couple of guys they will need to bring back.

Okay, fine, let’s just jump right into the running back situation.

I’m sure you’re well aware that Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is a free agent. We all know how valuable Walker was to the Seahawks winning the title this year, as he was arguably our playoff MVP. I think Walker has always been super underrated, and he is one of the best running backs in the National Football League, not only from a speed standpoint but also because of his ability to create something out of nothing and how dangerous he is with the ball in his hands.

Now with that being said, what is he worth money-wise?

Ever since Zach Charbonnet went down with a torn ACL in the Divisional Round, I thought it was a no-brainer that the Seahawks would bring Walker back. Charbonnet isn’t expected to return until mid-November and likely won’t be 100 percent healthy, unless his ACL is built the same way as Adrian Peterson’s.

But after his dominant showing in the playoffs, Walker seems to have priced himself out of Seattle.

John Schneider elected not to use the franchise tag on Walker, which wasn’t surprising since he’s only used it twice during his tenure as Seahawks general manager (2010 and 2019).

Walker is rumored to get up to $16 million per year in free agency, which would make him the third-highest-paid running back in the NFL. I’m sure some team will be willing to throw big money at Walker. But at the same time I’d love it if he takes a discount to stay in Seattle.

I’d expect Seattle to look for his potential replacement in the draft and perhaps sign Tyler Allgeier in free agency to fill Charbonnet’s role. Or maybe even Rachaad White.

Now, a huge part of Seattle’s Super Bowl run was trade-deadline acquisition Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed had a pivotal punt-return touchdown in the Seahawks’ Week 16 comeback win against the Los Angeles Rams, and he opened the Divisional Round with a kickoff-return touchdown.

Shaheed was also a huge fan of former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. With Kubiak taking the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, Shaheed and the Seahawks reportedly aren’t close to an extension, and he is reportedly asking for $18 million per season, which is more than the Seahawks are likely willing to pay.

Perhaps he will reunite with Kubiak in Vegas.

Seattle does have Tory Horton, who will fill Shaheed’s role next year, but I definitely see them going after another receiver. None of the big names, but maybe a receiver three or four like Jalen Nailor.

Okay, I’m going to quickly address the right guard situation.

Yes, Anthony Bradford is bad. The only viable free-agent option I see is Wyatt Teller. If another team signs him, I expect Seattle to draft one. With that being said, I expect Seattle to be all over Teller. Please sign Wyatt Teller. 

Now the defense, “The Dark Side.”

This was Seattle’s stellar defense that dominated all year long, showed out in the Super Bowl, and showed the world how good they are. Now multiple members are looking for a big payday.

I’ll get this one out of the way, Boye Mafe has more than likely played his last game in a Seahawks jersey. Even though the Seahawks need an edge rusher, Mafe only recorded two sacks and was used in a rotational role. With edge rushers being scarce in the NFL, I expect a team to pay big money for Mafe.

Now the Seahawks secondary is one of the best in the league. It’s arguably their biggest strength. A huge reason for that is their ability to match receivers with their dynamic defensive backs.

Which leads me to the Tariq Woolen situation.

Woolen had a horrible start to the season. He gave up the winning touchdown in Week 1 and allowed multiple big plays while committing penalties. He was a huge liability.

From Week 7 onward, Woolen was amazing, and his resurgence was a huge part of Seattle’s defense taking the next step. Then we all remember his tomfoolery in the NFC Championship Game on 4th-and-12, when his taunting penalty nearly sank the Seahawks.

That sequence pretty much summed up his career so far. He’s an athletic corner who can make plays, but he can also be a liability and give up big plays. The highs are high and the lows are low with Woolen.

So what do the Seahawks do?

I say let him walk only if he wants more than $18 million per year. Getting good corners in the NFL is hard. If the Seahawks let Woolen go, cornerback instantly becomes the biggest need on defense. But if Woolen exceeds the $18 million mark, I can’t justify bringing him back given the downsides.

I’m very curious to see how this plays out.

This leads me to Josh Jobe. I hope the Seahawks bring him back, and they should be able to afford to. But some team that wants a piece of this defense may overpay and snag Jobe.

Coby Bryant is also someone I want to bring back. He stepped up in a big way when Julian Love was hurt and truly showed his value. But with Love already on the roster on an $11 million deal, Bryant may have priced himself out of the Emerald City. Still, I really hope not.

As far as trades go, I know Maxx Crosby is probably on your mind. I expect the Seahawks to be all over him if he really is on the trade market, especially given DeMarcus Lawrence’s uncertainty.

I think the Seahawks need to figure out the running back situation, I still hope they find a way to bring Walker back. Acquire a right guard, add a younger edge rusher likely through the draft, and try to keep the secondary together.

If they are able to do that, I will consider free agency a success.

It’s going to be hard, but I trust John Schneider.