Report: Riq Woolen monitored as trade deadline target

Well, well, well. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen has been under intense scrutiny after a tremendous rookie season, and now there are serious questions regarding his future with the team.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport wrote on Sunday that teams are looking at the fourth-year cornerback as a trade target, which in itself is not really a story, but reading between the lines can also be a case of “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

Woolen played every snap against the San Francisco 49ers, but a brutal fourth quarter in which he gave up multiple big catches and the game-winning touchdown resulted in plenty of criticism. Mike Macdonald all but indicated that Woolen was in competition for playing time with Josh Jobe, but Devon Witherspoon’s injury may have changed that equation. Woolen still played 59 of 62 defensive snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 71 or 72 in the blowout versus the New Orleans Saints, and 62 of 67 snaps against the Arizona Cardinals. This is functionally no different than last season’s rotation so I’m not sure where “playing time has diminished” has come from.

With all of that said, something’s been up with Woolen over the past three seasons to varying degrees. Pete Carroll briefly benched him for lackluster tackling effort in 2023 (albeit with Carroll acknowledging a shoulder issue), then Macdonald sat him for the opening drive against the Minnesota Vikings for a team violation. Through the first four weeks of 2025, Woolen has been flagged six times (four accepted) and Coach Macdonald said that he believes Woolen is “pressing maybe, a little bit.” The mental lapses, more than anything else, may be one of Woolen’s biggest issues.

Of course, Woolen is in a contract year, and with all of the noise swirling it doesn’t feel like an extension is likely. This doesn’t mean Riq is going to be traded, but he may be a name to watch when the trade deadline comes around on November 4.

It’s worth noting that however you view Riq, someone whose ball skills and interceptions took the league by surprise in 2022, he’s the only tall corner on the depth chart. Every other listed cornerback on the squad is no taller than 6’0, so you could be looking at one of the shorter cornerback rooms in the NFL if Woolen is dealt.

Bills May See a Change in Josh Allen in New York Jets Showdown

The Buffalo Bills are already off to an incredible start to their 2025-26 season following a storybook comeback win during their opening regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, September 7. While the Ravens seemed to have this game in the bag, as the clock ticked, the Bills were able to come back and pull off a last-minute win. It was really down to the last second.

It goes without saying that at the head of that victory was Buffalo Bills franchise quarterback Josh Allen, who is a proven leader with this team. Allen, of course, is the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player, and it’s not just for his stats but also for his leadership with the team. This week, Allen was also named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Now, the Bills will go up against the New York Jets on the road on Sunday, September 14. While the Bills are favorite to win this game by almost everyone, one can never be too careful, so they’re taking the game seriously. When Allen takes the field on Sunday, he might be using a skill even more than usual against the Jets.

Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen vs. New York Jets’ Justin Fields

Allen and Fields are both fairly mobile quarterbacks. In a piece published on Wednesday, September 10, by Lou Scataglia of the NFL Spin Zone, Scataglia makes a big prediction for each game in Week 2. For the Bills and Jets, Scataglia has “Josh Allen and Justin Fields combining for 200 rushing yards.”

So, he thinks to expect to see a more mobile performance from both quarterbacks. While Allen can get mobile, he might do so more than ever.

“Both Josh Allen and Justin Fields are elite as runners, and we’re going to see each QB do a ton of damage on the ground in Week 2,” Scataglia notes in the piece. “In fact, the starting quarterbacks in this game will end up combining for at least 200 rushing yards. Buffalo likely wins this game.”

So, it wouldn’t’ be a surprise, at all, if Allen ends up running the ball much more than usual beat the Jets. The Jets have a good defense, and their head coach Aaron Glenn was previously the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, so that makes any of Allen’s moves even more critical.

Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen Has Hot Merchandise

Allen’s NFL merchandise is among the best-selling in the country. The NFLPA has released its year-end Top 50 player sales list, which reports on sales from March 1 through July 31, 2025. The NFLPA’s annual tally is the sole verified ranking of all officially licensed, NFL player-branded merchandise sold via online and traditional retail outlets, and it’s reported by more than 85 NFLPA licensees, including Fanatics, Outerstuff, Fathead, FOCO and Funko.

Allen was ranked No. 4 on the tally. Eagles All-Pro and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley ranked No. 1.

As for the rest of the tally, Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts was No. 2, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was No. 3 and Shedeur Sanders was No. 5. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was No. 7.