The Seattle Seahawks have had a lot of turnover this offseason, as is expected, though, for a team as successful as the Super Bowl champions were last season. Players who contributed to the Seahawks’ second ring in franchise history are now on other teams; however, some are not believers in those players in their new locations.
Bleacher Report put out a list of the 10 Worst Free Agent Signings of the offseason, and several names on the list were familiar to Seahawks fans. Rashid Shaheed and Kenneth Walker III “graced” the list as well a force as a pass rusher.
Boye Mafe signed with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, and he’s listed as one of the worst free agent signings this season.
Potential Fall Off
Boye Mafe took full advantage of the NFL’s need for a high-end pass rusher when he cashed in on a three-year $60 million contract with the Bengals. However, some believe the Bengals may have overpaid for a pass rusher whose best days may be behind him.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, in his April 13 article on the 10 worst free agent signings this offseason, believes that the Bengals may have participated in some wishful thinking about the player Mafe really is.
“However, this could be a case of the Bengals seeing what they wanted to see—a team hoping Mafe could recapture the form that saw him post nine sacks back in 2023,” Davenport wrote. “But he had just eight sacks over the past two seasons combined and played his fewest snaps in 2025 since his rookie year.”
While Mafe’s sack numbers have declined, he still generates a high pass-rush pressure rate. According to Next Gen Stats, Mafe has generated a higher pressure rate than any other member of the Bengals’ current roster.
“Boye Mafe generated a higher pressure rate (13.2%) than any current member of the Bengals roster with 150+ pass rushes in 2025, and has increased his pressure rate in every season of his career.”
Another reason for optimism for Bengals fans with Mafe is his connection to a member of the Bengals coaching staff.
Familiarity
One of the significant factors in Mafe’s signing with the Bengals is Sean Desai being on staff. Desai, a senior defensive assistant on the Bengals staff, was also an associate head coach and a defensive assistant on the Seahawks staff when the team drafted Mafe in 2022.
Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery appeared on the “Bengals Booth Podcast” and told host Dan Hoard about the role Desai played in Mafe becoming a Bengal.
“I think it was a group effort,” Montgomery said. “You know, you got Al’s background, myself. Sean Desai was there when they drafted him, so there was a lot of insight into the individual and the kid, from a personality standpoint and a fit. So, yeah, I mean, it was group effort, and then those guys upstairs did the rest.”
Mafe is getting a fresh start in Cincinnati and will now join a line that features Dexter Lawrence, so while some may believe the Bengals have taken a gamble giving Mafe this much money, the Bengals believe Mafe is just the pass rusher they need in a post-Trey Hendrickson world.
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