Mixed signals from Seattle’s venture market amid megadeals in AI, discussion about potentially replacing Kenneth Walker on the Seahawks, and interest from an NFL club in a player facing eight criminal charges are the main topics in today’s roundup.
Slowing Venture Investment in Seattle Amid AI Megadeals
The second quarter of 2026 brought mixed signals to Seattle’s venture market: regional startups raised $1.5 billion, which is noticeably lower than a year earlier, but the overall picture is distorted by massive funding rounds from companies such as Anthropic and Prometheus. According to a report from the PitchBook–National Venture Capital Association Venture Monitor, published by The Business Journals, Seattle startups completed 78 deals in the second quarter—down from 100 deals worth $2.3 billion a year earlier. At the same time, compared with Q1 2026 ($1.2 billion, 77 deals), there was a slight increase.
This is happening alongside the dominance of mega-rounds in artificial intelligence. For example, Anthropic raised $65 billion in May, while Prometheus raised $12 billion in June. Analysts say these figures don’t reflect the real health of the entire market—but they also won’t disappear anytime soon, even as some AI companies prepare for an IPO.
The report’s authors emphasize that in the coming quarters a new wave of startups will emerge that can attract capital on this scale. These will be well-known names to investors, though publicly they may not be as recognizable as Anthropic or OpenAI yet. Among the biggest local deals of the quarter are: a $100 million Series B from Takewila-based space startup Starfish Space; $500 million in investment from Ara Partners into Sedron Technologies, a waste-recycling technology company in Cedar Valley; and $100 million from Match Group into gay dating app Sniffies. In addition, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, based in Kent, is reportedly closing a $10 billion round at a $130 billion valuation—something that could dramatically shift regional statistics.
At the national level, the contrast looks even sharper: U.S. startups raised $412.7 billion across 9,646 deals since the start of the year, already surpassing the 2021 record ($358.6 billion). Meanwhile, a number of giants are headed to the public markets. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, completed an IPO in June, raising more than $85 billion at an estimated valuation of about $1.8 trillion, and Anthropic and OpenAI have also filed for initial public offerings. However, as the report notes, such massive exits provide liquidity to only a select group and do not become the kind of “lifeline” that would unlock the whole market.
Analysts point to the “power law” in venture capital, under which a handful of big wins don’t create a healthy market for liquidity. Even with trillion-dollar IPOs, the pricing imbalance between public and private markets persists—helping explain why “aging unicorns” (companies valued at more than $1 billion that haven’t gone public in a long time) aren’t rushing to become public. In practice, this means that in the near term, the bulk of capital will be concentrated among a narrow set of the most promising startups, while the majority of young companies will continue to struggle to secure funding.
Can the Seahawks Replace Kenneth Walker? A Preliminary Look at the Running Backs Position Ahead of the 2026 Season
The hosts of the popular Wyman & Bob show on Seattle Sports 710 AM, Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton, have kicked off a series of previews of the Seattle Seahawks’ roster for the 2026 season—arguably with the most intriguing position: running backs. As described in the Seattle Sports preview, the key question they discussed is how to replace Kenneth Walker. That challenge becomes especially urgent when you consider that Walker, drafted in the second round in 2022, didn’t just become the team’s featured runner over three seasons—he turned into a true leader of the offense.
His rookie contract expires after the 2025 season, and it’s already clear that either the club will offer him a new big contract (which, considering the salary cap and other needs, isn’t easy) or it will have to look for a replacement in the 2026 draft or among free agents. Running back is a position where a career peak is often short, and “Seattle” has historically liked to have a strong running game—whether during the Marshawn Lynch era or with Chris Carson. Walker is a dynamic running back with excellent burst speed, but his contact-based running style has led to injuries. In 2025, he missed several games, which may have influenced the team’s decision not to force a contract renegotiation.
Right now, the Seahawks have Zach Charbonnet (drafted in the fourth round in 2024). He showed some promise late in the season, but his average yards per attempt (3.8) still falls short of Walker’s standard. The roster also includes Kenneth Gainwell and veteran DJ Dallas, though both are more “role” players. The key insight: the Seahawks don’t necessarily have to bet everything on a single star running back. Modern NFL teams increasingly use a rotation of two or three players. Still, finding a player as explosive as Walker—someone who can win one-on-one battles in open space, whether in the middle rounds of the draft or among free agents—is not a trivial task.
According to Spotrac, upgrading to a free-agent option at that level would cost at least $8–10 million per year. For the Seahawks, that could be a problem given their heavy salary load in 2026 for Geno Smith and DeX Lawrence. So a more logical scenario is that Seattle tries to re-sign Walker on moderate terms, or selects a running back in the first three rounds of the 2026 draft, which is considered deep at the position.
On the radio show, Wyman and Stelton pointed to an example from “Philadelphia.” After the departure of Miles Sanders, the Eagles simply added two young backs in the mid-rounds and ended up with the best rushing attack in the league. So replacing Kenneth Walker isn’t necessarily a disaster—it’s a challenge the Seahawks could turn into an opportunity to rebuild the position using a more modern, committee-based approach. The bottom line: for Seahawks fans, the 2026 season will test how well general manager John Schneider can find talent at a position where even stars rarely stay for long after their first contract.
Dangerous Interest: Seahawks and Other NFL Clubs Show Interest in a Player Facing Eight Criminal Charges
The Seattle Seahawks have found themselves at the center of a controversial story. According to the agent for defensive player Terrion Arnold, the team showed interest in a player who is currently under investigation for eight criminal charges related to kidnapping. The news, which surfaced following court hearings in Florida, raises questions about how far NFL teams are willing to go in seeking talent—even when it comes with serious legal troubles.
Terrion Arnold, drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round in 2024, was released after he was charged in connection with an incident involving the alleged assault of three people in Tampa. According to the case materials, in February 2025 Arnold allegedly acted as the “ringleader” in an incident in which three young men—including his personal driver—were allegedly held at gunpoint, beaten, and told to return items that the athlete believed were stolen luxury goods and $100,000 in cash. It later emerged that the people involved were not connected to any theft, and the total value of the alleged stolen property was estimated at more than $250,000. Two other defendants in the case have already pleaded guilty and are cooperating with investigators.
Arnold’s agent, Nicole Lynn, who also represents Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe, told the court during a hearing on April 11 that beyond Seattle, requests had come in from the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Jets. She said Arnold already has meetings scheduled with teams over the current and following weeks. According to ESPN, he has already completed a medical examination in Houston. Representatives of the Seahawks declined to comment. One source for the outlet said that while the club did make inquiries, the story likely won’t go much further—this was just standard market monitoring, something Seattle does for every player without exception.
The judge denied the prosecution’s request that Arnold be required to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He posted a $1 million bond and can move freely within his home area, as well as travel to meetings with attorneys or for work-related matters. Lynn said she expects to sign a contract with her client within the next 45 days—possibly even tomorrow. Arnold himself played in only eight games last season due to a right shoulder injury that required multiple operations, and he lost his spot in the starting lineup. Detroit head coach Dan Campbell said plainly that the player needed to win back his position.
For the Seahawks, interest in Arnold looks especially intriguing given their current situation at cornerback. After Rick Woulins left for Philadelphia, the starters in base defense are Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe. In addition, the team drafted Julian Neill in the third round to provide depth and signed veteran Noah Igbinoghene. Even so, Arnold is a talented player—Alabama’s first-round No. 1 pick and a member of the America’s symbolic team in 2023. However, his criminal case will undoubtedly become a serious reputational risk for any team. And while the NFL often gives players with legal issues a second chance, eight charges for kidnapping and assault are a heavy enough burden to make teams wonder whether the talent outweighs the potential consequences.
Details of the case can be found in the original report by Seattle Times. Even though the court has not yet issued a final verdict, the fact that NFL teams continue to show interest in a player amid such severe allegations says a lot. In the league, talent is often weighed more highly than ethical concerns—at least at the stage of preliminary interest.
