The Seattle Seahawks lost linebacker Jared Ivey to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, one day after exposing the 6-foot-6, 274-pound defender to waivers while setting their initial 53-man roster.
Per the NFL’s waiver transactions, Ivey was among three players awarded to Atlanta. The Falcons also claimed linebacker Yasir Abdullah from the Jacksonville Jaguars and offensive tackle Cameron Williams from the Philadelphia Eagles.
For Seattle, Ivey is a more notable loss than his limited regular-season statistics suggest.
The second-year defender made the Seahawks as an undrafted rookie in 2025, and head coach Mike Macdonald singled him out for praise only four months ago while discussing the team’s young pass rushers.
Mike Macdonald Had High Praise for Jared Ivey
Seattle signed Ivey as an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss in May 2025, and he proceeded to beat the odds by earning a spot on the Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster.
He appeared in only two regular-season games during Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning season and was inactive throughout the postseason. But the organization remained encouraged by the work it saw behind the scenes.
After Seattle went through the 2026 NFL draft without selecting an edge rusher, Macdonald named Ivey while explaining why the Seahawks felt comfortable with their young depth.
“Jared Ivey is a guy that had a great, great season last year,” Macdonald said in April. “He wasn’t active as many days as he wanted.”
Macdonald also cited Jamie Sheriff, Connor O’Toole and Jalan Gaines, saying the Seahawks were “really excited” about that group and believed its members had prepared themselves to play if called upon.
Ivey nevertheless faced a much different numbers game by the end of August.
Seattle added veteran Dante Fowler Jr. in May, joining a group already featuring DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall. O’Toole ultimately won the fifth outside linebacker spot on Seattle’s initial roster.
The Seahawks also experimented with Ivey inside along the defensive line during training camp and the preseason, giving the 274-pound defender another avenue toward sticking on a deep defensive front.
It wasn’t enough to survive the final cut.
Falcons Prevent Seahawks From Bringing Ivey Back
Seattle officially waived Ivey on August 30 as part of a large group of moves needed to reach the 53-player limit. The Seahawks identified Ivey, Sheriff and Gaines as potential practice-squad candidates when reviewing the final roster.
Atlanta eliminated that possibility with its waiver claim.
Had Ivey cleared waivers, Seattle could have brought him back on its practice squad and continued developing a player who already had a full season in Macdonald’s defense. Instead, the Falcons now inherit that developmental investment while giving Ivey a spot on their active roster.
Ivey’s appeal starts with unusual size and positional flexibility. Seattle listed him at 6-foot-6 and 274 pounds, and he entered the NFL after producing 16 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss over three seasons at Ole Miss. He earned third-team All-SEC honors in his final college season after recording 42 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
His most memorable college performance came against Georgia in November 2024, when Ivey recorded seven tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and two pass breakups in a 28-10 Ole Miss victory.
Seattle clearly liked enough of that profile to keep an undrafted Ivey on its active roster throughout his rookie year.
One year later, the Seahawks’ depth made him expendable.
The consolation for Seattle is that Ivey wasn’t being counted on as a primary member of the rotation. Lawrence, Nwosu, Hall and Fowler give Macdonald four established veteran options off the edge, while O’Toole earned the final roster spot behind them.
Still, the Falcons’ claim means Seattle won’t get to stash one of the developmental defenders its head coach was praising just a few months ago.
For a deep Seahawks roster, that’s one of the costs of cutdown weekend: other teams are interested in the players Seattle no longer has room to keep.