Unrestricted defensive back Riq Woolen finalized a single-season pact, valued at a maximum of $15 million, with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, as communicated to ESPN by his agent, Jason Chayut. Related: Fujifilm Instax Evo Cinem…
Woolen departs from the reigning Super Bowl victors, the Seattle Seahawks, to integrate into the Eagles’ roster, thereby providing the squad with a potential starter across from Quinyon Mitchell. Related: ACC Football: Who’s…
Woolen represents the initial external unrestricted player with whom the Eagles have secured terms since the free agent bargaining window commenced on Monday.
He is the most recent crucial athlete to exit the Seahawks via unrestricted free agency, following Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, defensive end Boye Mafe, and defensive back Coby Bryant.
At 26 years old, Woolen concluded an inconsistent four seasons in Seattle by assisting the Seahawks in securing victory in Super Bowl LX, while functioning as their third corner for the majority of the year.
Woolen is an exceptionally talented player who, in peak form, ranks among the NFL’s premier interception specialists. Since his entry into the league as a fifth-round selection in 2022, his 41 pass deflections have equaled the highest number across all defensive players in the league; concurrently, his 12 interceptions place him fourth among cornerbacks.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Woolen possesses a superior combination of size and speed. He excelled at the 2022 scouting combine, where he completed the 40-yard dash in 4.26 seconds and posted a 42-inch vertical jump. Despite these feats, he dropped to selection No. 151, primarily due to the fact that he had merely participated in two full seasons as a cornerback in college, having commenced his athletic journey at the University of Texas at San Antonio as a wide receiver. Considered a developmental selection, Woolen secured a starting role during training camp as a rookie and earned Pro Bowl honors after matching the league’s top count with six interceptions, with one instance resulting in a touchdown return.
However, Woolen’s performance since that time has been characterized by fluctuating consistency. In 2024, his 78.7 opposing quarterback rating when he was the closest defender placed sixteenth out of 77 defensive players who had accumulated a minimum of 500 plays in coverage, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Nevertheless, Woolen was responsible for significant errors late in contests, including the game-winning score during a December defeat against the Minnesota Vikings. He was removed from the initial series of that particular game due to an unspecified breach of squad regulations.
During the 2025 inaugural game, Woolen mishandled two passes during the San Francisco 49ers’ game-clinching possession — a 45-yard reception along the boundary and the determining score in the end zone. He subsequently relinquished his role as the secondary cornerback to Josh Jobe; however, he nonetheless accumulated nearly an identical number of plays and reversed his season’s trajectory after its challenging commencement. During the initial six weeks, Woolen’s 116.3 passer rating against was positioned 82nd. Across the concluding 12 weeks, his rating of 57.2 achieved the sixth position.
Adam Schefter, Jeremy Fowler, and Brady Henderson of ESPN assisted in compiling this article.