Dante Fowler Jr. agrees to 1-year deal with Seahawks
Published 10:42 am Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. has agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, league sources confirmed to The Athletic.
Although Fowler has not played for the Seahawks during his 11-year NFL career, Seattle does offer the veteran pass rusher a comfortable destination with plenty of familiarity. Aden Durde is Seattle’s defensive coordinator, and he previously worked with Fowler in two different stops. Durde was the outside linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020 during Fowler’s first year with the Falcons.
Durde joined the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive staff under Dan Quinn in 2021 as the defensive line coach. Fowler signed with the Cowboys in 2022 and worked closely with Durde for two seasons in Dallas before Durde moved on to his current role as Seahawks defensive coordinator, and Fowler followed Quinn to Washington.
Fowler, 31, visited Seattle before the draft. By waiting until now to sign him, the Seahawks will not affect the compensatory pick formula, which is projected to land them four picks (one fourth-rounder and three fifths) in 2027.
Fowler is coming off one of his worst seasons in terms of productivity, but he signed with the Cowboys in the offseason with the understanding that he would be rushing the passer opposite Micah Parsons. That never materialized in his second stint with the Cowboys, as Dallas traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the start of the season.
Fowler went from a complementary piece in a pass rush to a veteran who had to carry a heavier load. That won’t be the case in Seattle, where the reigning Super Bowl champs have plenty of talent along the defensive front, including DeMarcus Lawrence, Fowler’s teammate in Dallas in 2022 and 2023, who offers another bit of familiarity as well.
With the Seahawks, Fowler should be allowed to do what he’s best suited for at this point in his career, which is to be a rotational pass rusher in a 3-4 defense.
Fowler returned to the Cowboys last season after having 10 1/2 sacks the year before in Washington. While he played in every game and started 11 for Dallas, he didn’t have the type of impact he did for the Commanders, totaling only three sacks for what was one of the NFL’s worst defenses.
At 31, the former third overall pick can still help Seattle as a reserve pass rusher, probably averaging around 20 snaps per game. Had the Cowboys remained in a 4-3 scheme, they probably would have tried to bring him back. However, the switch to a 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker led Dallas to go in a different direction.
The Cowboys moved on from defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence a year ago, and he went on to have an impressive season while helping the Seahawks win the Super Bowl. Perhaps a change of scenery will also help Fowler.
