On a recent episode of the HawksZone Rundown podcast, hosted by Bryce Coutts, Seahawks analyst Curtis Allen of SeahawksDraftBlog.com discussed the Seattle Seahawks’ 2022 draft class contract extensions and key training camp priorities for 2025. With critical roster decisions looming, the focus was on which players from this pivotal draft class will earn long-term deals and what Allen will observe at training camp.
Contract extension priorities for the 2022 draft class
As a reminder, here are the Seahawks from the 2022 class who are extension eligible:
Charles Cross
Kenneth Walker III
Boye Mafe
Abe Lucas
Coby Bryant
Riq Woolen
Dareke Young
(Note: Tyreke Smith returned to the team after being waived and thus no longer on his rookie deal)
The 2022 draft class, a cornerstone of Seattle’s post-Russell Wilson rebuild, includes players like Charles Cross, Boye Mafe, and Kenneth Walker III. Allen and Coutts highlighted that left tackle Charles Cross is the only true lock for an extension, given his consistent performance and the team’s need for offensive line stability.
However, with only three of the potential extension candidates likely to be retained, others like Mafe, Walker, and Riq Woolen must deliver strong 2025 seasons to secure deals. Walker, a dynamic running back, faces uncertainty due to injury concerns and a deep running back market, which could push Seattle to draft a cheaper alternative. Mafe, a versatile edge rusher, shows promise but needs to prove consistency for a significant contract.
“Mike Macdonald has said several times, if you listen to him, they want Boye Mafe to be a three-down player,” Allen said. “So, it’s they’re still waiting for him to kind of fully blossom into that [player] you can’t take him off the field to make a better scheme adjustment. He’s got to have a player that he can be on the field all on all three downs and he can be consistent.”
“What’s happening is you’ll find players that get seven or eight or nine sacks, but they don’t get a ton of money in the market. Kind of like Benson Mayowa, if you remember. You just don’t get a lot of money because—I don’t want to say they get empty sacks—but they get sacks and then they disappear for a few games, and they get a couple of sacks and they’re not around and they don’t contribute to that “on the game” presence.”
“The Seahawks would be really smart in my opinion to wait on Boye Mafe, see where he goes and see if he develops into a further rounded player.”
Curtis Allen’s training camp focus
As a regular at Seahawks training camp, Curtis Allen outlined his 2025 priorities.
He will closely monitor the wide receiver battle behind top targets Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, evaluating which players, such as Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tory Horton, Cody White, and Ricky White, can emerge as reliable depth options in the passing game.
“I would be very interested to see how the whole receiver group really lines up and how they practice in camp, and that includes the tight ends,” Allen said. “I think there’s going to be a number of factors there that could come into play with how they how they put their final 53 together. So the third wide receiver spot is going to be very fascinating. Valdes-Scantling [we] know what he brings. They have a good idea of what he brings, but how do the other how do the other players fit in? The draft picks, you know, Ricky White, Tory Horton, how do they fit into this team and can they can they actually have an impact in their rookie year?
“So, I think it’d be very interesting to see how how they come out, how they deploy them. Um, seeing how some of the players are that we’ve had injury concerns with. I mean, Tory Horton missed a bunch of time, but some of the video we were able to see from from the OTAs and other things, it looked like he was practicing just fine. [Elijah] Arroyo looked pretty good in from what we could see in some of the practices.
“I mean, do they really want to try to [keep Arroyo as] a tight end? Do they want to call him a big wide receiver and have him run some of the routes that that that he’s good at and maybe could be a little bit of DK Metcalf’s filling that hole there? I think it’ll be interesting to see how they how they use that.”
Additionally, Allen will focus on the interior offensive line battles, particularly the competition for starting roles among players like Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes. These matchups will be critical to strengthening the line’s cohesion and protecting the quarterback in Seattle’s evolving offensive scheme.
Conclusion
With ample cap space projected for 2026, Cross is the sole guaranteed extension from the 2022 class, while others must prove their worth in 2025, as Seattle may keep only three of the other candidates. Allen’s training camp focus on the wide receiver and interior offensive line battles will offer key insights into the Seahawks’ 2025 potential.
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Bryce Coutts: @brycecoutts_HZR
Ryan MacMillan: @RMac1090
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@curtis93669 on Twitter
