Anthony Bradford wants to stay in Seattle. The Seahawks, so far, haven’t given him much reason to think that conversation is happening anytime soon.
There’s been no indication the team is working on a new deal for its starting right guard, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, who reported that nothing points to Seattle planning an extension as Bradford heads into the final year of his rookie contract. Bradford, a 2023 fourth-round pick out of LSU, is set to hit free agency in March 2027 if nothing changes before then.
A separate Bradford social media post referencing comments to Seahawks insider Gregg Bell has circulated among fans discussing his future in Seattle. That post has not been independently verified against Bradford’s own public remarks, and it runs counter to how he’s actually talked about the position battle this camp — carefully, and without tipping his hand. Until there’s confirmed reporting on what he’s said, it’s best treated as unverified.
Why the Seahawks Are in No Rush
This is where the roster context matters. Bradford’s 2025 tape gave Seattle every reason to wait him out. Pro Football Focus rated him 71st among 79 qualified guards last season, and he ranked as the third-worst pass blocker at the position leaguewide. That’s not a small sample issue — he played the third-most offensive snaps on the team.
Front offices don’t hand out extensions to backup-caliber pass protectors on playoff-caliber lines. They let the contract year do the talking. Bradford is currently playing on a four-year, $4.6 million rookie deal with a $3.67 million base salary in 2026 — well below market for a full-time starting guard, which is exactly the kind of value Seattle has no incentive to walk away from before it has to.
Bradford has taken almost every snap with the starting offense in training camp, with Christian Haynes working mostly with the second string and fifth-round rookie Beau Stephens getting third-team reps, per Condotta’s reporting.
That’s the tell here. Seattle drafted Stephens out of Iowa in the fifth round specifically to create competition, not to hand him the job. He’s a developmental piece for now, not a Week 1 threat. Haynes, who lost the starting job to Bradford back in 2024, is the more proven insurance option if Bradford’s play slips again.
What a Bounce-Back Season Would Actually Buy Him
This is where it gets interesting from a scheme standpoint. Bradford’s tape shows a player who struggles most in extended pass sets — he’s not the smoothest mover asked to slide and mirror on longer-developing dropbacks, which is where a lot of his pressure numbers piled up. If Seattle’s offensive coordinator leans on quicker-hitting concepts and shorter protections in 2026, that plays to Bradford’s strengths as a mauler in the run game while masking some of what shows up against him on tape in obvious passing downs.
My read: Seattle isn’t stalling out of indifference. It’s running the standard contract-year playbook — let him prove it on the field, control the leverage, and negotiate from whatever version of Bradford shows up over 17 games. If he plays like the second half of 2025, when his tape reportedly improved across the board, he prices himself into a deal Seattle will have to seriously consider. If he plays like the first half, this becomes a much easier decision to let him walk.
Bradford has started 38 games over three seasons and has never missed real time to injury outside a knee issue in 2024. That durability alone has value on a line that just won a Super Bowl. Whether it’s enough to get him an extension before free agency, or whether Seattle prefers to see the whole season first, is still an open question — and right now, all the reporting says Seattle is content to let it stay that way.
