The NFL disciplined the Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen for the third time this season, handing down punishment stemming from his actions during the NFC Championship Game just days before the Super Bowl.
Woolen was penalized for a taunting call that directly cost Seattle seven points, marking the latest in a series of discipline-related issues for the Pro Bowl defensive back during the 2025 season and adding an unwelcome subplot as the Seahawks prepare for the league’s biggest stage.
The Seahawks won their playoff showdown with the Los Angeles Rams despite Woolen’s reckless taunting penalty, by a 31-27 score, earning Seattle its first berth in the Super Bowl since the 2014 season, and fourth in the franchise’s 50-year history. In Super Bowl 60, the Seahawks will take on the same opponent they met in their last Super Bowl — the New England Patriots.
The Seahawks lost that Super Bowl 28-24 when Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler came up with a goal-line interception of Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson with just 26 seconds left on the clock. Now, 11 years later, the new edition of the Seahawks behind quarterback Sam Darnold will have a chance to avenge that heartbreaking defeat.
But they almost missed the chance, thanks to Woolen’s thoughtless penalty with 2:20 to go in the third quarter, with Seattle holding on to a 31-20 lead.
Costly Penalty in More Ways Than One
The penalty happened with the Rams driving in a third-and-12 situation, when Woolen broke up a pass from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Puka Nacua. But Woolen followed up the otherwise outstanding play with some over-exuberant vocalization directed at the Rams’ sideline.
Woolen was flagged for taunting, giving the Rams a new set of downs. On the very next play, Stafford connected with Nacua, who beat Woolen for a 34-yard touchdown reception, making the score 31-27 — which, after a scoreless fourth quarter for both teams, is how the game ended.
Woolen, a 2022 fifth-round draft pick, might also be costing himself more money than the $17,398 fine that the NFL handed down on him, as announced on the league’s Gameday Accountability ledger Saturday.
After the Super Bowl, Woolen’s four-year, $4 million rookie contract expires and the 26-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Spotrac projects that Woolen will receive a one-year deal for $8.2 million. But it is conceivable that his market value could be affected by his repeated and generally unnecessary penalties. The taunting call in the NFC Championship was Woolen’s third of the 2025 season.
Only Fine Handed Down From Championship Weekend
Woolen was fined $11,593 from a taunting penalty he incurred in a Nov. 2 game against the Washington Commanders, and was then hit with a second-offense fine of $17,389 stemming from his actions in a Dec. 7 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The penalty against the Rams brings the total fines paid by Woolen this season to $46,371.
Woolen’s fine was the only one levied by the NFL from either game on Championship Weekend, out of 309 total plays in the Seahawks-Rams game and the AFC Championship matchup between the Patriots and the Denver Broncos combined, according to the NFL’s figures.
Throughout the playoffs, the NFL has handed down 14 fines out of 1,957 total plays.
Seahawks Riq Woolen Punished For Third Time of Season Ahead of Super Bowl