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New York Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Are Boye Mafe, Derick Hall in the Seahawks' long-term plans? This season could decide
RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks selected edge rusher Boye Mafe with the 40th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, one of the many selections acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver. Since then, Mafe has 18 sacks, 32 quarterback hits and a pressure rate that ranks just outside the top 50 among qualified pass rushers. Advertisement For the past three seasons, Seattle has been able to roster Mafe for a bargain. As he enters the final year of his rookie contract, the Seahawks must consider where the 26-year-old outside linebacker fits in their long-term plans. Seattle's veteran players don't report to training camp until July 22. This is typically a quiet period on the NFL calendar, but as the Seahawks just demonstrated with punter Michael Dickson, contract negotiations can take place if both sides are motivated to get a deal done. Mafe is among the extension-eligible players from Seattle's 2022 draft class. Mafe had a quiet rookie year, totaling four quarterback hits and three sacks. He assumed a bigger role in Year 2 and set a franchise record for consecutive games with a sack, producing seven in a row. Mafe finished that year with a team-high nine sacks, 16 quarterback hits and a pressure rate of 13.8 percent, which ranked 39th out of 187 defenders with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps (all stats provided by TruMedia unless stated otherwise). Mafe missed a couple of games in 2024 but was just as productive rushing the passer on a per-play basis, despite a decrease in sacks (six) and QB hits (12). He also remained a reliable run defender. Mafe is a well-rounded player who fits perfectly in coach Mike Macdonald's defense. He just hasn't produced at a level that makes signing him to a big-money extension ahead of his age-27 season an obvious decision. The cost of good edge defenders is constantly rising. Buffalo signed 25-year-old Greg Rousseau to a four-year, $80 million extension in March. Josh Sweat, 28, signed a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the Cardinals. Chase Young, 26, signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Saints. Dayo Odeyingbo, who turns 26 in September, signed a three-year, $48 million deal with the Bears. All are outside the top 10 among edge rushers by average annual salary (and, on paper, Mafe's last couple of seasons profile similarly). Rousseau ranks 12th, one spot behind Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, who is seeking a new contract. Advertisement Notable extension-eligible edge rushers from Mafe's 2022 class include Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson, Jacksonville's Travon Walker, the Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux, Kansas City's George Karlaftis and Denver's Nik Bonitto. Cowboys All-Pro Micah Parsons (26 years old) is also still without a new deal, and 30-year-old T.J. Watt is in a contract dispute with the Steelers. There's a chance that by the start of the regular season, a $20 million-per-year deal will barely crack the top 15 among edge rushers. All this makes 2025 an important season for Mafe and the Seahawks. He's a young, homegrown player at a premium position who has delivered decent numbers through his first three seasons. Mafe is an elite athlete with an array of pass-rush moves that highlight his explosiveness, footwork and play strength. If he adds a few more moves to his bag of tricks, he has the makings of a double-digit sack producer. 🚨 NEW #SeahawksMan2Man pod 🚨 'Can the Seahawks become contenders?' Live now: No. 1 defense, reasons for optimism, players to watch, contract extensions, minicamp wrap-up, your questions/voicemails 🫵🏾 + more! YouTube Spotify — Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) June 18, 2025 Seattle signed Uchenna Nwosu to a two-year deal worth just south of $20 million in March 2022, then re-signed him to a three-year, $45 million extension in July 2023 after he posted 9.5 sacks and 26 hits. Injuries have limited Nwosu to just 12 games and three sacks over the past two seasons, which is likely one reason Seattle asked him to take a pay cut this offseason. Nwosu, 28, is a dynamic edge defender when healthy, but between him and 33-year-old DeMarcus Lawrence — whose three-year, $32.5 million contract has only one year of guaranteed money — Seattle is entering 2025 relying on players with injury questions (Nwosu had offseason knee surgery, and Lawrence missed most of last season with a broken foot). Mafe and 2023 second-round pick Derick Hall — also selected with a pick from the Wilson deal — might be the future. Hall, like Mafe, had a quiet rookie year (five QB hits, zero sacks), then came on strong in Year 2 (20 QB hits, eight sacks). Hall is a different style of pass rusher than Mafe. He is at his best when using speed and brute strength rather than high-level hand fighting. He started to put that on display once he found his footing as a second-year player. 'It's a lot that's on your plate,' Hall said of his rookie year during a KIRO-AM radio interview. 'Moving to a new city, learning new coaches and teammates, trying to fit in and then figuring out the on-field part can make life challenging for first-year players.' Advertisement Hall said some struggles during his rookie season could be attributed to that juggling act. 'And then also wanting to grow so fast,' Hall continued. 'Coming from being so successful in college and then getting here and not being so successful, you're wondering, 'What am I doing wrong?' It's not what you're doing wrong — it's what you're doing right to be able to grow. That's what helped me out from Year 1 to Year 2.' Hall cited Seattle's Week 3 win over the Dolphins as the moment things started to click. He had registered a sack against former Auburn teammate Bo Nix in the season opener and put several good reps on tape against the Patriots in Week 2. Then came the Miami game, his first career start, when he had two sacks and four QB hits. 'That was my first true game where I'm like, 'Wow, I can truly do this,''' Hall said. 'As a rookie, that's the stuff you battle. Like, 'Am I really good enough to play in this league?' That's the game it really, really broke open for me.' Now Mafe and Hall must ascend into the game-wrecker category. They've had flashes of excellence; there were a couple of games during Mafe's hot streak in 2023 when opponents didn't have answers for him. That wasn't the case in 2024, but if he takes that leap in 2025, especially against the elite teams on the schedule, he might become the first John Schneider draftee to make the Pro Bowl as an edge rusher, and then cash in on a multiyear extension. Affecting the game on every down and distance is the next step for Mafe, defensive coordinator Aden Durde said. 'Me and him talk about it all the time,' said Durde, who also works closely with the defensive line given his background as a position coach. 'He does it, and he really brings the game to life on third down. Can he bring the game to life on first and second just like he brings the game to life on third down?' Advertisement Hall's next step, Durde said, is about consistency and 'being as efficient as possible.' 'Sometimes D-Hall is like a bull in a china shop,' Durde said. 'He wastes energy at times. … How efficient can he be? How can he bring his edge moves to life?' The urgency to take that next step is greater for Mafe due to his expiring contract. In a KIRO-AM interview on June 10 during minicamp, he said he doesn't enter each season with specific goals to reach. 'If you sit there and worry about a goal,' Mafe said, 'you may never reach it.' Instead, Mafe said, his approach is to remind himself, 'I just want to be better than I was yesterday.' If Mafe takes that mindset and turns it into a career year, the rest will likely take care of itself. Mafe figures to be in the same boat as fellow 2022 draftee Abe Lucas in that he can try to negotiate an extension this summer, but it's probably best for both sides to let the year play out and proceed from there. Regardless, Mafe's long-term outlook is a looming question ahead of his fourth season. (Photo of Boye Mafe, 53, and Derick Hall: Rio Giancarlo / Getty Images)
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Queenslander Luke Felix-Fualalo becomes latest Australian to score NFL deal
The surging ranks of Australians in the NFL continue to swell with the Seattle Seahawks swooping on Queenslander Luke Felix-Fualalo. The 200cm, 139kg monster from Brisbane will join fellow Aussie Michael Dickson in Seattle after being picked up as an undrafted rookie out of the University of Hawaii. Felix-Fualalo, who was born in Brisbane but went to high school in California before beginning his college career in Utah, took part in Seattle's rookie minicamp last month as a tryout player. A spot on the Seahawks roster the opened up after Seattle waived tight end Mitch Van Vooren on Friday, and Felix-Fualalo, an offensive lineman, was given his chance. The Aussie is in. 😤 We've signed Tackle Luke Felix-Fualalo. — Seattle Seahawks Australia & New Zealand (@seahawksAUNZ) June 16, 2025 He joins a huge cohort of countrymen now in the NFL, with his deal coming after Laki Tasi signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in April. He came out of the international pathways program, which also helped former Wallabies backline star Jordan Petaia land a deal with the Las Angeles Chargers. They are part of a growing number of non-punting Australians in the NFL, looking to follow in the footsteps of Super Bowl-winning Jordan Mailata, who has signed a $100m deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Felix-Fualalo's addition to the Seahawks roster also comes a week after Dickson signed a four-year, $25m contract extension with the team, making him the highest-paid punter in the NFL. But the cut-throat nature of the NFL has cost a couple of Australians their spots in 2025. The San Francisco 49ers cut punter Mitch Wishnowsky, and more recently the Jacksonville Jaguars let go Patrick Murtagh, who failed to play a game after being signed first by the Detroit Lions, also via the international player pathway, before suffering an injury. He then spent time with the Jaguars in 2024 and this off-season before being cut. But the likes of Mailata, Daniel Faalele (Baltimore) and Adam Gotsis, who has played 126 games for four NFL teams and is now signed at Tampa Bay, continue to fly the Aussie flag along with a slew of punters including newly signed James Burnip, who joined fellow Aussie Matt Hayball at New Orleans.
Sydney Morning Herald
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Aussie NFL punter making $84,000 a kick
Australian Michael Dickson has become the NFL's highest-paid punter after re-signing with the Seattle Seahawks on a $25.68 million four-year deal. The 29-year-old Swans academy product first signed with the Seahawks in 2018, and had previously held the title of the league's highest-earning punter when he extended with the club back in 2021. Dickson will earn a guaranteed $15.67 million across the four years, but could earn up to $25.68 million. The new deal means Dickson will earn about $6.4 million a season – or $84,000 for every punt until the end of his contract in 2029 – based on his 2024-25 number of 72 punts for the season. Dickson's contract surpasses that of Jacksonville Jaguar Logan Cooke, who was set to become the league's best-paid punter two days ago, with his four-year contract extension speculated to be worth about $6.15 million a season. The role of a punter is to kick the ball as close as possible to the opponent's end zone withoutit entering the end zone. The average punter kicks four-to-five times in a match, spending roughly one-to-three minutes on the field in a match, meaning Dickson will play a minimal, but crucial, role in the Seahawks 2025-26 campaign when the season starts in September. Dickson, who was named in the NFL's Pro Bowl team in his 2018 rookie season, has now been with Seattle for seven seasons, making him the longest-serving player on the team's roster. Speaking following his extension, Dickson said he was grateful for the opportunity he received in 2018 and that the felt privileged to pull on the jersey each week.
The Age
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
The Aussie NFL punter making $84,000 a kick
Australian Michael Dickson has become the NFL's highest-paid punter after re-signing with the Seattle Seahawks on a $25.68 million four-year deal. The 29-year-old Swans academy product first signed with the Seahawks in 2018, and had previously held the title of the league's highest-earning punter when he extended with the club back in 2021. Dickson will earn a guaranteed $15.67 million across the four years, but could earn up to $25.68 million. The new deal means Dickson will earn about $6.4 million a season – or $84,000 for every punt until the end of his contract in 2029 – based on his 2024-25 number of 72 punts for the season. Dickson's contract surpasses that of Jacksonville Jaguar Logan Cooke, who was set to become the league's best-paid punter two days ago, with his four-year contract extension speculated to be worth about $6.15 million a season. The role of a punter is to kick the ball as close as possible to the opponent's end zone withoutit entering the end zone. The average punter kicks four-to-five times in a match, spending roughly one-to-three minutes on the field in a match, meaning Dickson will play a minimal, but crucial, role in the Seahawks 2025-26 campaign when the season starts in September. Dickson, who was named in the NFL's Pro Bowl team in his 2018 rookie season, has now been with Seattle for seven seasons, making him the longest-serving player on the team's roster. Speaking following his extension, Dickson said he was grateful for the opportunity he received in 2018 and that the felt privileged to pull on the jersey each week.
News.com.au
11-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Australian punter Michael Dickson has signed a mammoth new contract with the Seattle Seahawks
His coach described him as a 'weapon' and NFL punter Michael Dickson has elevated himself among Australia's highest-earning sportspeople after signing a monster $25m contract extension with the 29-year-old declaring he's 'only half way' into his career. Dickson, already the highest paid punter in the NFL, cemented that position with a new four-year-deal which is worth $25m, including nearly $16m guaranteed. Seven years into his career, Dickson, who eyed-off an AFL career before taking up punting, is adamant there's much more to come. 'It's crazy, because I still feel like I just came through the doors here the other day,' he said. 'But when you think back and think about every season and every different teammate you've had and all the memories you've created along the way, it has been quite a long time. But I don't even feel like I'm halfway yet; it's going to be a long career.' Dickson, had a year left on his previous deal and is now signed through the 2029 season, earning huge plaudits from Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. 'Dicko is a premier punter in the league, so hopefully we showed that with the numbers involved,' said. 'But he's a weapon for us. The stats show it. The film shows it. He's got a great attitude about him, great personality. Guys love him. Yeah, really excited to have him here for the long haul.' Dickson earned first-team All-Pro and Pro-Bowl honours as a rookie, and has established himself as one of the league's best punters over the past seven seasons. His deal is a tad short of fellow Aussie Jordan Mailata's $100m contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, but puts Dickson in rare air for punters. 'It's meant a lot,' Dickson said after signing Tuesday morning. 'You see a lot of people come through the building, and I've just been super grateful since my first year here just to wear this logo and to play in the NFL. So I've really made it a point of mine to give it everything I can in every aspect of my life, whether it's food, sleep, hydration, training, looking after my body, trying to do everything I can to make sure my mind is on point for this game, the next game and for as long as I can go. ' I really want to get the most out of my ability and my time here, and I never want to take it for granted at all.'
