Super Bowl winners typically have a tough time keeping their rosters intact after pulling off a championship.
For the San Francisco 49ers, who were ultimately eliminated by the Lombardi Trophy-winning Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round last January, at least general manager John Lynch and Co. can take some comfort knowing other teams across the league are aiming to pry away some of the Hawks' talent this offseason.
Granted, Seattle's roster will mostly remain intact, and head coach Mike Macdonald has already proven to be within the league's elite ranks.
However, with the opening wave of free agency in 2026, the Seahawks are already slightly weaker than they were when they wrapped up their Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots last February at Levi's Stadium.
Seahawks lose 2 key members of their Super Bowl-winning roster to free agency
On the opening day of the so-called "legal tampering period" before free agency officially begins on March 11, news broke of two key departures the Hawks will now have to face.
Safety Coby Bryant, who proved be a quality ballhawk over the last couple of seasons, is off to the Chicago Bears on a three-year deal worth up to $40 million, according to Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz:
Sources: The #Bears and standout S Coby Bryant have agreed to a 3 year $40M, per sources.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 9, 2026
Bryant has 7 INTs over the last two years and has started 34 games during his time with Seattle — amassing 7 forced fumbles and 17 passes defensed. pic.twitter.com/uXpC62VVIe
Considering the Niners failed to score a single touchdown the last two times they played Seattle, it'll be a welcomed relief to see at least one starting-caliber piece from Macdonald's defense suiting up elsewhere next season.
But that might not be the Seahawks' biggest free-agent loss to date.
Running back Kenneth Walker III, who took home Super Bowl MVP hardware a month ago, is jumping conferences and signing with the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year deal worth up to $45 million:
Kenneth Walker III is signing a 3-year, $45M max deal with $28.7M fully guaranteed. (via @RapSheet) https://t.co/UQ2eSzNJpS
— NFL (@NFL) March 9, 2026
While fellow rusher Zach Charbonnet is still very much in the mix for Seattle's ground game, the loss of Walker at least hinders the Hawks' desire to be a ground-and-pound offense.
And that has to be a bit of a relief to San Francisco, too, in a still-very competitive NFC West entering 2026.