Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

How Eagles Signed Riq Woolen Away From Seahawks

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Mar 14, 2026 8:00 PM ET

It always seemed unlikely that cornerback Riq Woolen was going to return to the Seattle Seahawks on a second contract, especially after his asking price would undoubtedly be on the rise.

The former fifth-round pick signed a one-year, $12 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, finding a new NFL home after the Seahawks opted to sign cornerback Josh Jobe to a three-year, $24 million deal ($8 million per year).

But the Eagles, as they often have in the past, used some cap manipulation to ease Woolen's impact on their 2026 salary cap.

Woolen costing Eagles pennies in 2026

Woolen's one-year deal has four void years tacked onto the end of it, per Over The Cap, allowing the Eagles to spread his $10.74 million prorated signing bonus over five years. If Woolen doesn't re-sign with Philadelphia, his cap hit in the void years will become dead money for the Eagles through 2030.

That makes Woolen's cap hit for 2026 just $3.408 million, allowing the Eagles to add a former Pro Bowl cornerback for next to nothing this season. Philadelphia already has $52.031 million in dead money heading into the 2026 season.

Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The Eagles still have $23.281 million in effective cap space, which ranks 16th in the NFL.

Even after all its moves, Seattle is projected to have $40.9 million in effective cap space, ranking seventh in the league. The Seahawks could have easily done a similar deal to retain Woolen, but he may not have been willing to sign it with his former team, or general manager John Schneider may not have been interested in deferring the cap hit.

It's hard to fault either side for not doing so. Woolen likely felt he'd already proved himself in Seattle, and the team gave Jobe a new deal to cement him as their second cornerback behind Devon Witherspoon.

Schneider is no stranger to using void years. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed's new deal with the Seahawks had two void years at the end after expiring in 2029, with $12 million in dead money in 2029-30. That got Shaheed's cap number all the way down to $7 million in 2026.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams has two void years at the end of his current contract, which expires after next season. The Seahawks will be on the hook for more than $14 million in dead money if Williams doesn't re-sign.

Left tackle Charles Cross, who signed an extension with the Seahawks last season, also has two void years at the end of his contract that expires in 2030.

So, it's not an uncommon tactic even by Schneider and the Seahawks. But using it too frequently can muddy up the team's future salary cap availability.

Woolen still got his money, it just unfortunately wasn't with the Seahawks. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was willing to do the deal to add to an already good secondary with minimal risk.

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This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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