HEADLINES

Uchenna Nwosu

Seahawks Unlikely To Retain Boye Mafe

October 30th, 2025 at 1:08pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a quiet start to the season from Boye Mafe, the Seahawks fourth-year edge rusher seems likely to leave Seattle this offseason.

Mafe was the No. 40 overall pick in the 2022 draft and started three games as a rookie. He took over a full-time role in 2023 and recorded 15.0 sacks across his next two seasons. This year, however, he has just two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and zero sacks in seven games and a 62% defensive snap share.

As a result, Mafe is “not trending toward a lucrative second contract,” according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Obviously, his performance this year would preclude an in-season extension, but Dugar’s words suggest that he is not likely to be re-signed by the Seahawks this offseason, either.

Seattle has a few reasons to move on from Mafe. He was drafted in 2022 when Pete Carroll was still the team’s head coach. Now, Mike Macdonald is in charge, and teams typically turn over their rosters in the first few years of a new regime.

The Seahawks also have depth at edge rusher into next year. DeMarcus Lawrence signed a multi-year deal this offseason, and both Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall are under contract in 2026 as well. Lawrence and Nwosu have outproduced Mafe this season, but Hall has taken a step back after his eight-sack breakout last year. It still seems likely that Seattle will keep Hall for the final year of his rookie deal, and Nwosu’s five sacks in six games this year could save him from being a cap casualty next spring.

Mafe could also be somewhat expensive. His pressure rate is slightly down relative to his last two years, but his pass rush win rate is about the same, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He could be due for some positive regression later this season, which would boost his stock heading into free agency. His 2023 and 2024 production won’t be forgotten by teams in need of pass-rush help, either.

Seahawks’ Uchenna Nwosu Passes Physical

August 17th, 2025 at 4:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

Uchenna Nwosu should be available early in the regular season. The veteran edge rusher passed his physical with the Seahawks on Sunday, per a team announcement.

Nwosu opened training camp on the active/PUP list while rehabbing from offseason knee surgery. Given today’s news, though, he is cleared to be activated and take part in team drills. It would come as a surprise if he played in Seattle’s final preseason contest, but reps in practice will be in store moving forward.

Provided Nwosu is indeed available for Week 1, his presence will be welcomed. The 2022 free agent addition delivered a career-high 9.5 sacks during his debut Seattle campaign. Since then, however, injuries have been a persistent issue. Nwosu played just six games in 2023 due to a pectoral injury, and a combination of ailments again cost him 11 contests last season.

As expected, then, team and player negotiated a restructured contract this offseason. Nwosu agreed to a pay cut for 2025, and none of his scheduled salary ($11MM) for next year is guaranteed. A paring of ways could therefore be in store after the coming campaign depending on how things play out regarding the 28-year-old’s level of play and availability.

The Seahawks have Boye Mafe and Derick Hall set to return in 2025. Both rookie-contract performers will again be counted on to contribute along the edge as the team looks to reach the postseason. Free agent signing DeMarcus Lawrence is also in the mix after he inked a three-year pact in March, ending his lengthy Cowboys tenure in the process. Nwosu will be expected to handle starting duties while seeing time with those three once he is back on the field.

Head coach Mike Macdonald cautioned (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic) it is uncertain if Nwosu will suit up in time for Week 1. A long-term approach to his ramp-up process would of course be reasonable from the team’s perspective. In any case, today’s news paves the way for a return to practice and what all parties hope will be a healthy campaign.

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/17/25

July 17th, 2025 at 8:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: OT Ryan Nelson

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Rework Uchenna Nwosu’s Deal

March 20th, 2025 at 5:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Seahawks agreed to a reworked contract with outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, creating $9.4MM in 2025 salary cap space, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.

Nwosu signed a three-year, $45MM extension in July 2023 that tied him to the Seahawks through 2026. He was set to earn a base salary of $14.48MM in 2025 with a $6MM injury guarantee that would have vested into a full guarantee earlier this month. The two sides agreed to push back that vesting date as they worked on a revised contract that would lower Nwosu’s $21.2MM salary cap hit.

That new deal features a $6.99MM pay cut with $6.98MM in guaranteed money via a $4MM signing bonus and a fully-guaranteed $2.98MM base salary in 2025. Nwosu’s cap hits are now $11.8MM in 2025 and $20MM in 2026. Since none of his $11MM 2026 salary is guaranteed, he will be a cap casualty candidate next offseason.

Originally a Chargers second-round pick in 2018, Nwosu played a rotational role on defense in his first three years before emerging as a starter in 2021. That earned him a two-year, $19MM deal with the Seahawks in 2022 where he took over as a starting outside linebacker.

Nwosu impressed with 9.5 sacks in his debut season in Seattle, but injuries limited him to 12 games and 3.0 sacks in the last two years. Though the Seahawks have plenty of cap space, even after signing Sam Darnold, Nwosu’s cap hit was still too high given his lack of availability and production.

The revised contract allows him to stay in Seattle for the 2025 season as part of a four-man edge rotation. Derick Hall and Boye Mafe are returning after combining for 25 starts, while new signing DeMarcus Lawrence will likely eat into Nwosu’s snap share.

Seahawks, Uchenna Nwosu Discussing Reworked Contract

March 13th, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Ben Levine

If Uchenna Nwosu hopes to stick in Seattle for the 2025 campaign, he’ll likely have to take a pay cut. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Seahawks have had discussions with the pass rusher about a reworked deal.

[RELATED: Seahawks Sign DeMarcus Lawrence]

Nwosu is still attached to a three-year extension he inked with the organization in 2023. He’s set to make $14.99MM in 2025, and he’s attached to an untenable $21MM cap charge. Following the departures of Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf, that number represents the highest charge on the organization’s cap sheet, and it’s the 12th-highest cap charge among NFL edge rushers.

Considering Nwosu’s recent injury woes, the organization will have a tough time justifying that commitment. A pectoral injury limited the pass rusher to six games in 2023, and separate knee and thigh injuries resulted in another six-game showing in 2024. The former Chargers draft pick showed plenty of talent when healthy, including a debut season with the Seahawks when he compiled a career-high 9.5 sacks. Since then, he’s been limited to only three sacks.

Still, the organization has hinted that they’d like to retain the veteran. GM John Schneider confirmed last month that the two sides agreed to push back the trigger date on the contract (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson), buying them extra time to negotiate a new deal. Coach Mike Macdonald also acknowledged the player’s pass-rush ability while speaking with reporters at the combine.

“[Y]ou just saw what he could be, a force on the edge,” Macdonald said (via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune). “He’s a great game runner. You just feel the toughness. The physicality, intelligence. … It’s been awesome having him in the film room and being with the guys all the time. But to be able to do it on the field with the guys to take it to that level…”

The Seahawks, of course, already made a splash on the edge when they signed DeMarcus Lawrence to a three-year deal, so the team isn’t entirely dependent on Nwosu heading into 2025. Still, the organization would surely want as much pass-rush depth as possible, and that could be dependent on Nwosu’s willingness to reduce his salary.

Seahawks Activate Uchenna Nwosu From IR

December 5th, 2024 at 2:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

As they vie for their first NFC West title since 2020, the Seahawks will have some more help in a crucial division matchup. They are activating Uchenna Nwosu ahead of Sunday’s Cardinals rematch, ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson notes.

Nwosu has missed almost all of this season, sustaining separate injuries that have required weeks-long rehab odysseys. This comes after the former Chargers draftee missed much of the 2023 season. Nevertheless, the Seahawks will have him back after an quadriceps injury.

Nwosu said (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) he sustained a torn quad that did not ultimately require surgery. While Seattle is in good shape for injury activations, still holding four after this move, it has continued to see roadblocks form for Nwosu.

The quad strain occurred 20 plays into Nwosu’s season debut — against the Giants in Week 5 — and it brought more rehab time. Nwosu had missed the Seahawks’ first four games due to an MCL injury sustained during the preseason. Nwosu entered the offseason after a pectoral injury shut him down in October 2023. He has missed 22 games since that point, effectively putting a promising career on pause.

This is Nwosu’s third season as a Seahawk. A productive 2022 slate (9.5 sacks, 26 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles) earned him a three-year, $45MM extension. The run of injuries has prevented Seattle from benefiting much from that deal. The former Joey Bosa Bolts sidekick has more to prove now, stepping into Mike Macdonald‘s defense. No guaranteed money remains on Nwosu’s deal for 2025. At the same time, the Seahawks are welcoming a productive edge defender back at a key juncture.

In terms of resources allocated, the Seahawks have a deep OLB corps. Homegrown second-rounders Boye Mafe and Derick Hall are on rookie deals, while Dre’Mont Jones — primarily an interior defensive lineman in Denver, before shifting to more of an EDGE role under Macdonald — is attached to a three-year, $51MM deal. Hall (six sacks) has elevated his play this season, doing so after Maye thrived during Nwosu’s 2023 absence. Mafe has five sacks this year. How the Seahawks use Nwosu after his batch of injuries will be interesting, but this activation certainly gives Macdonald more options as he attempts to secure the team its first division crown since the Russell Wilson years.

Nwosu, 28, is also a former second-round pick. He spent much of his Los Angeles stay as a rotational player behind Bosa and Melvin Ingram. The Bolts traded for Khalil Mack in 2022 and let Nwosu walk in free agency. Nwosu’s second Seahawks contract runs through the 2026 season, and while the team has not seen much from the seventh-year veteran since authorizing it, a return to form would give the Seahawks a bargain. Whether Nwosu can return to form will be a key storyline in a tightly bunched NFC West — a division that may well send only one team to the playoffs this season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/24

November 27th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions, including some standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Thanksgiving Day slate:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Designated to return from IR: CB Myles Harden

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Vikings’ release of Murphy is disappointing one for the organization for sure. The rookie pass rusher out of UCLA was not healthy enough to be on the active roster to start the season, but Minnesota liked him enough to dedicate one of their eight IR activations on him in August. He was activated yesterday but hit waivers today. If he clears the waivers, he’ll be available to sign to the team’s practice squad.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field soon.

Seahawks’ Uchenna Nwosu To Return To Practice

November 26th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Adam La Rose

Uchenna Nwosu has been out of the Seahawks’ lineup since October, but he is making progress in his recovery. The team’s highest-paid edge rusher is set to practice today, per head coach Mike Macdonald. 

“This week is going to be pretty limited,” Macdonald acknowledged when speaking about Nwosu’s immediate workload in practice (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “So we won’t be seeing him this week, and then we’ll take it from there.”

Nwosu suffered a thigh injury in Week 5, his season debut. The 27-year-old missed Seattle’s first four games due to an MCL sprain; that did not lead to time on injured reserve, but he was moved to IR after the thigh ailment was suffered. Nwosu’s 21-day activation window will open once he officially takes part in practice, and Macdonald’s remarks confirm he will spend a portion of that time ramping up before he returns to game action.

Once that takes place, the Seahawks’ pass rush will receive a notable boost. Nwosu set a career high with 9.5 sacks during his debut Seattle campaign (2022), and expectations were high entering this season after he was limited to only six games the previous year. Remaining healthy the rest of the way would allow for Nwosu – who is on the books through 2026 – to reprise a starting role along the edge as Seattle looks to remain in contention to win the NFC West.

In his absence, the Seahawks have relied on Derick Hall and Boye Mafe for pass rush production. Hall leads the team with six sacks, and Mafe is tied for second with five; adding Nwosu to the mix will give Seattle a notable trio of options on the edge along with Leonard Williams on the interior. Sitting at 6-5 on the year, the Seahawks rank only 17th in the league in sacks, so improving in that department could be key in reaching the postseason.

Seattle has six IR activations remaining, and using up one of them will be required to bring Nwosu into the fold. Doing so will allow him to make an impact in 2024 as he looks to move past his recent injury troubles.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/24

October 10th, 2024 at 7:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s minor moves, including elevations for the opening game of Week 6:

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Signed (off Raiders’ practice squad): C Ben Brown

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Seahawks To Place Uchenna Nwosu On IR

October 8th, 2024 at 11:25am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Seahawks are expected to place edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu on injured reserve after injuring his thigh in Seattle’s Week 5 loss to the Giants, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

This is a disappointing setback for Nwosu after he missed the Seahawks’ first four games with a sprained MCL suffered at the end of the preseason. He avoided a stint on injured reserve after that injury, debuting Sunday against the Giants, but his thigh will sideline him for four more games and potentially longer.

Nwosu has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons, landing on season-ending injured reserve with a pectoral injury in October 2023. He played all 17 games in 2022, his first year in Seattle, with career highs in tackles (66), tackles for loss (12), sacks (9.5), and forced fumbles (three). That earned him a three-year extension off of an initial two-year deal, but Nwosu has appeared in just six games since.

The Seahawks will rely on a trio of young outside linebackers to replace Nwosu in head coach Mike Macdonald‘s defense: Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, and Trevis Gipson. Macdonald also has multiple potential options on the practice squad, including former fifth-round pick Tyreke Smith.

The Seahawks had ex-Ravens linebacker Tyus Bowser on their practice squad last week, but he was signed to the Dolphins’ active roster on October 3. Seattle could take a look at Yannick Ngakoue, who is currently on the Ravens’ practice squad. He played his first 11 snaps of the season against the Bengals on Sunday with a strong first step and one quarterback pressure on eight pass-rushing snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Macdonald briefly coached Ngakoue during the 2021 season when Baltimore acquired the veteran edge rusher at the deadline while Macdonald was the team’s linebackers coach.

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