The Seattle Seahawks and veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. have agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth up to $5 million, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday, filling a need along the defensive front for the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Seahawks were in need of pass-rush help off the edge after losing Boye Mafe to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. Seattle declined to select an edge rusher with any of its eight draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, indicating a veteran addition would likely be forthcoming. Fowler had visited with the club before the draft, making the pairing a likely outcome.
Fowler, 31, played for the Dallas Cowboys last year and registered three sacks in 17 games, starting in 11 of those. The former No. 3 overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2015 NFL Draft has accumulated 58.5 career sacks across 10 seasons. In addition to Jacksonville and Dallas, his career has included stops with the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Commanders.
The familiarity between Fowler and the Seahawks’ coaching staff was a significant factor in bringing the deal to completion. Seattle defensive coordinator Aden Durde previously worked with Fowler at two separate stops. Durde served as the outside linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020 during Fowler’s first year there, and later joined the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive staff as defensive line coach in 2021, where Fowler signed with the Cowboys in 2022 and worked closely with Durde for two seasons in Dallas.
Fowler projects to fill out a four-man edge rusher rotation along with DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derick Hall. Fowler and Lawrence were teammates in Dallas in 2022 and 2023, adding another layer of familiarity within Seattle’s defensive front. With the Seahawks, Fowler should be allowed to fill the role he is best suited for at this stage of his career: a rotational pass rusher in a 3-4 defense, likely averaging around 20 snaps per game.
Seahawks president of football operations John Schneider said shortly after the team declined to select an edge rusher in the 2026 draft that they would consider adding a player through free agency. By waiting until after the draft to finalize the signing, the Seahawks avoided affecting the compensatory pick formula, which is projected to earn them four additional selections — one fourth-rounder and three fifth-rounders — in 2027.
Pro Football Focus gave Fowler a 77.6 grade in 2025, the highest-rated season of his 10-year career, with a 72.8 pass-rush grade, 30 total pressures on 248 pass-rush snaps, and a 14.1 percent pass-rush win rate.
The Seattle Seahawks will be Fowler’s sixth NFL franchise. After being selected by Jacksonville, he missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL suffered during rookie minicamp. He recovered and went on to record a career-high 11.5 sacks during the 2019 season with the Los Angeles Rams. His addition completes what the Seahawks view as a fully addressed roster, capping an offseason in which they replaced all four of their major free-agent departures through the draft or free agency.
