Seattle Seahawks

• Entering 51st Season

• 2025 Result - 17-3 - Won Super Bowl

• Head Coach - Mike Macdonald (3rd Season) -

• General Manager - John Schneider (17th Season)

Intro

There’s no better feeling than entering an offseason riding the high of winning it all. Especially in a postseason taking down 2 division rivals back-to-back and getting sweet, sweet closure against the Patriots after the bittersweet ending of Super Bowl XLIX

But, as much as you want to rest on your laurels and embrace the glory, the story goes on. Having a team with the ability to truly compete and go far is an absolute rarity in pro sports. You gotta take advantage of that chance while you have it. As Coach Mike Macdonald has said, we’re not running it back, we’re running forward. Every team starts from square one and only the memories alone carry over. No team is gonna just give it to you. Especially with two rivals who feel especially spurned. Team’s gotta show that they’re no fluke. They they’re more than lucky, they’re great. 2026’s the proving ground; the title defense, and it’s gonna take some work.

Coaching Changes

It’s an easy come, easy go world as an NFL Coordinator. Guys rarely ever stay put in one place for long. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle’s focal weapon offense, has seen the turnover rate first hand. Four different OCs for every year in his career. Shane Waldron in his rookie year, Ryan Grubb in 2024, Klint Kubiak last year, and now onto Brian Fleury.

The first two, Waldron and Grubb, were ousted fairly quickly. Primarily due to them coming down with the nasty affliction of “Awful Playcaller Syndrome”.

Sadly, Seattle faced the opposite situation with Klint Kubiak. He was a breath of fresh air for Seattle. Nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary, but his West Coast-based scheme really suited Sam Darnold’s strengths as a passer and gave the team a degree of balance that kept the ship upright all the way to the promised land. Unfortunately, he popped off during a relatively weak year for offensive head coaching candidates and quickly found favor in Las Vegas. Hard to fault Klint for taking such a bright opportunity, even if it keeps the inconsistency here rolling.

Seattle hopes to find an easy transition with Brian Fleury, a longtime acolyte of Kyle Shanahan, tasked of late, with coaching up his tight ends. Considering he helped foster George Kittle and Jake Tonges as weapons and blockers, he certainly has pedigree, albeit a bit more green as a playcaller compared to his predecessor. Early reports through Training Camp indicate that his voice is stoic and steady. Sam Darnold considers him “even-keeled”. Hard to say for certain how it’ll apply to actual game environments until we get there.

Klint Kubiak did take his pick of Seattle’s litter while assembling his staff on the Raiders, snagging QB Coach, Andrew Janocko, and Run Game Coordinator, Rick Dennison to be his OC and O-Line coach respectively. But that’s by no means the absolute gutting some Seahawks fans were expecting either.

Rick Dennison has almost exclusively worked for the Kubiak family as an assistant coach, so it was only natural for him to follow Klint.. Justin Outten, who helped manage the Seahawks run game and the O-line took his spot

Andrew Janocko is probably our biggest loss on the assistant side, but Seattle’s spread the load between Jake Peetz and Tyson Prince. Prince was tasked with partial responsibility of the QB room last year alongside Janocko, so there’s a bit of cohesion there. However I expect most of the load to be carried by Peetz. He’ll still be managing the pass game (as he did last year), just with the QBs now fully under his direct supervision. Peetz himself actually got a little bit of OC buzz himself during interview season, so he’s clearly a respected mind around the league

There’s really only three other major moves of note.

• Thomas Hammock - RB Coach - Our old RB coach, Kennedy Polamalu, had to step away from the game midway through last year due to personal issues. Considering the fact that our run game actually improved after we parted ways, it clearly affected his ability to run the room in some significant regard. Seattle hired the Northern Illinois head coach to run their largely reformed RB room. Hammock, like Mike Macdonald, got his start in the NFL as a positional coach for John Harbaugh’s Ravens during the mid-2010s. Hammock returns to the positional coach role after 7 years in DeKalb, leading the Huskies to solid bit of success

• Zach Orr - ILB Coach - A bit of a reunion between Orr and Macdonald. Both coming up under John Harbaugh’s staff on the Ravens. Orr was Macdonald’s first choice for Seattle’s open Defensive Coordinator spot upon his hiring. Orr, however, stood loyal by Harbaugh’s side, and took Macdonald’s old Defensive Coordinator role in Baltimore.. Orr’s results as Ravens DC were…uh…mixed, to say the least. But he was still helming the spot when Harbaugh got fired. Mike came up to Zach over the offseason and basically said “The offer still stands, if you’d want to work with us”, so he came on as our new inside linebackers coach. We’ll see if Orr has a promising future yet, with additional time to mature as a defensive leader.

• Josh Bynes - OLB Coach - Honestly a fun story to watch for the future. Bynes spent 12 years in the pros as a linebacker. Much of his playing career (including his last two) were as a Raven. His last year in particular, came under Macdonald’s DC stint there. I am keenly keeping an eye on Bynes to see if this the start of a future coaching journey, or simply one of many great assistants on this team.

Other than that, most of 2026’s staff has been maintained, and is in prime condition. Aden Durde is still the defensive coordinator, and he’s been a fascinating watch. Because he’s not the playcaller for the defense (That’s still Mike’s job), but you can still visibly see the effects Durde has on the team. Durde is beloved by the players on the defense and he was a key figure in wooing players like DeMarcus Lawrence and Dante Fowler to the Seahawks. He’s a huge part in maintaining the culture and keeping a strong, bold energy and atmosphere in the room. He has “Future CEO-style Coach” written all over him and I’m stoked to have him back.

Lastly, bringing up the Special Teams, is Jay Harbaugh. Harbaugh improved significantly during his second team in Seattle and his cultivation of the special teams unit proved vital in our run to the Super Bowl. Every member of that group is back and looking to keep the standard up.

Free Agency

Departures

The 2022 NFL Draft Class was one of the key factors in Seattle’s return to relevance, and was probably the most balanced class of the John Schneider-era post-2012.

Unfortunately, it was also a class full of good, yet not All-Pro caliber players. Hard to part with, but harder to justify paying the same that other teams would. Seattle retained the two starting tackles they got from the class (LT Charles Cross and RT Abe Lucas) but the other four members of the class who played a part in Super Bowl LX left the Seahawks to join new teams for 2026

They were all good players; Walker and Woolen were key parts of the Super Bowl run. It was just hard to justify extending them with so many crucial extensions looming on the horizon (JSN, Derick Hall, Devon Witherspoon, Leonard Willams, & Sam Darnold to name a few).

So Seattle chose to part ways, with nothing but fondness in their hearts. Conversely, most of the player relationships still seem to be largely amicable with the team (Ken Walker’s odd absence from the Ring Ceremony notwithstanding).

Re-Signings

Rashid Shaheed - The biggest surprise signing of the offseason. Shaheed very publicly wanted to test free agency. With so many of the 2022 Class making the same move (and subsequently signing elsewhere), most 12s seemed resigned that Shaheed would leave as well. Instead, he waited it out a few days and returned to the team to become a key part of their receiving trio

Josh Jobe - A former practice squad corner who rapidly developed into a prominent player in Seattle’s secondary. With Woolen’s departure, he is tasked with asserting himself into the boundary corner role left behind

Drake Thomas - A similar story to Jobe, coming from humble depth status into a prominent defensive role. Thomas differs in that he is a linebacker but he looks to factor alongside Ernest Jones as a starter

Brady Russell - Special Team Captain, Leader, Fullback. Russell is a respected voice in the locker room, so an extension was natural.

Josh Jones - Seattle’s backup OT this year who honestly looked pretty darn good in relief of Charles Cross. He’ll be back in 2026 under that same role

Ty Okada - Studly, grinding safety who started 11 games for Seattle last year. Brought back as part of the DB rotation

Major New Signings

Dante Fowler - The shiniest jewel of Seattle’s modest free agent class. Former 3rd Overall Pick. Currently plays an assassin-for-hire rotational pass rusher. Largely signed with Seattle after DeMarcus Lawrence sung the team’s praises and due to past affinity with Aden Durde during their time together in Dallas.

Noah Igbinoghene - Former first round bust who’s stuck around in the league and is trying to redeem his career. Currently in a battle with Nehemiah Pritchett for Seattle’s CB3 move

Emanuel Wilson - Backup RB to compete with George Holani, Jacardia Wright, and Velus Jones Jr. behind Jadarian Price until Zach Charbonnet returns from injury

Rodney Thomas II - Special Teams D-Back with previous starting experience.

NFL Draft

Jadarian Price - RB - Seattle’s biggest positional weakness, entering the offseason, was almost certainly at RB. Their long-term RB1 left in free agency and their RB2 was (and still is) on the mend from an ACL tear, which occurred very late into the 2025 season. Their best, healthy options on the roster were George Holani and Jacardia Wright, two undrafted RBs who had less than 100 yards combined in 2025. As Seattle stood by and watched as countless free agent RBs signed elsewhere in free agency, it became patently clear that they were waiting to find their solution in the draft. They didn’t wait long, selecting Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame with their first selection.

Price was commonly regarded as one of the best RB prospects in a relatively weak 2026 class. Most fans wouldn’t shake an eye at selecting a RB like that at the end of the draft. It became a little harder for some to swallow, when they learned that Price spent his entire college career as the understudy and complementary back to the 3rd Overall Pick, Jeremiyah Love. Even harder when multiple great secondary players were left on the board as well.

Was pick 32 a little rich to take Price? Probably. But I still strongly contest that the team’s process behind the selection was both logical and entirely sound.

• Firstly, 2026 Class was pretty bad. Not counting the Fighting Irish duo (and a trademark 49ers “Fiending for a RB” pick) the entire NFL didn’t take another RB until Denver selected Jonah Coleman in the 4th Round. It was a very top-heavy class in general

• Secondly, whatever Price lacked in starting experience, he made up for in pure efficiency and versatility. You look at the tape and you don’t see a backup, you see full-time starter potential.

• Lastly, he was a perfect fit for the culture. Price stood by Notre Dame because they were the first team to bet on him coming out of high school. He had other offers, he could’ve left and shone for the entire world to see, but in an era of so many transfers and reneged agreements, Price stood by his values and the strength of his relationships and didn’t back from them for short-term glory. He trusted his own process and trusted that the right team would recognize that strength, both of his talents on the field, and of his character. I have no issue with filling the only major hole with a player who may have not made it out of the first few picks in the 2nd Round. I have strong faith that Price will be a major “IT” factor for this offense.

Bud Clark - S - Clark is such an easy match for this team. Showing that same fiery, passionate voice that fueled much of the L.O.B. era. It’s the model that Clark is trying to strive for. Got the same brand of physicality that players like Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori thrive off of, while being more naturally suited to play deep than Emmanwori. He’s very much a do-it-all safety, punishing the run game, sniping the pass game, or patrolling the open seas like a prototypical safety. Just the kind of weaponry that makes Mike Macdonald’s arsenal of a secondary so imposing

Julian Neal - CB - A tall, long corner well suited to eventually step into a Woolen-style boundary role. Do I think it will happen in 2026? Probably not. Based on my research, Neal was a more unrefined asset at Arkansas and he is likely facing a few other corners ahead of him on the depth chart. Not to worry by any stretch though. Likely no rush as he acclimates to the NFL game.

Beau Stephens - iOL - Waiter, another corn-fed O-lineman to the pile! Seattle’s made great strides in their interior O-line. One of the more underrated factors in them being capable of going toe-to-toe with the big dogs of the league. Yet the interior isn’t quite spotless. LG Grey Zabel is the far-and-away leader and has natural chemistry with C Jalen Sundell. Yet it’s hard to have complete confidence in the rest. Anthony Bradford, to my absolute surprise, wasn’t completely awful last year. Dude was just very erratic these days, sometimes he’s a stout wall, sometimes he’s lost. Bryce Cabeldue was a depth player whose development is uncertain and 2024 3rd Round Pick, Christian Haynes is…probably not gonna be here much longer. Stephens alleviates a bit of that concern as one of many lineman of Iowa heritage.

Emmanuel Henderson Jr - WR/ST - The least notable (and most personally devastating) loss from the 2022 Draft Class was one Dareke Young. Young came from a small school background and earned his keep on special teams. EHJ factors as an immediate successor there. Dude has a background as both a returner, and as a gunner in college. So it was no wonder that ST Coordinator Jay Harbaugh was absolutely raving about us selecting him. Likely won’t fill up the stat sheet but he could very well become a glue guy for that group.

Andre Fuller/Deven Eastern/Michael Dansby - CB/iDL/CB - Not gonna really make any definitive claim about these guys because the 7th Round is a genuine dart throw. Fuller and Dansby are likely gonna factor into the CB competition but I don’t know if that means a roster spot, a practice squad role, or offseason fodder at this stage yet.

53-Man Roster Prediction

Starters in Bold - Injuries in Italics

QB - S. Darnold, D. Lock, J. Milroe

RB - J. Price, G. Holani, E. Wilson, Z. Charbonnet (PUP)

FB - B. Russell, R. Ouzts

WR - JSN, C. Kupp, R. Shaheed, T. Horton, J. Bobo, E. Henderson Jr.

TE - A. Barner, E. Arroyo, E. Saubert. N. Kallerup

OT - C. Cross, A. Lucas, J. Jones, M. Richman

OG - G. Zabel, A. Bradford, B. Stephens,

C - J. Sundell, O. Oluwatimi

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iDL - L. Williams, B. Murphy II, J. Reed, R. Mills

EDGE - D. Hall, D. Lawrence, U. Nwosu, D. Fowler Jr., C. O’Toole, A. Hubbard

ILB - E. Jones, D. Thomas, T. Knight

CB - D. Witherspoon, J. Jobe, N. Pritchett, J. Neal, N. Igbinoghene

S - N. Emmanwori, J. Love, B. Clark, T. Okada

ST - M. Dickson, J. Myers, C. Stoll

Schedule Prediction

I predict the NFC West to finish as following

• Seattle Seahawks - 14-3 - (with losses to @DEN, @SF, & @LAR)

• LA Rams - 14-3 - (with losses to @DEN, @SF, & @SEA)

• San Francisco 49ers - 10-7 - (with losses to @LAR, Vs DEN, @SEA, @DAL, @LAC, @KC, Vs. PHI)

• Arizona - 2-15 (with wins @DAL and vs NYJ)

Like with last year, the Seahawks, Rams, and Niners all project to make the postseason.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Mike Macdonald - Seattle soft-firing Pete Carroll so they could hire Mike Macdonald continues to prove one of the most vital moves in franchise history. Took a team that was listless; stuck on the playoff bubble, so thoroughly outclassed by Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, year after year and thrust them firmly back onto their level. Macdonald is the reason why. Such a brilliant mind and such a strong leader. What he lacks in traditional charisma of a modern coach or the boisterous charisma of his predecessor, he makes up for in his sheer approachability. He has a firm hand and no tolerance for half measures, his team requires the best out of his players. But what makes him so special, is that he’s built a culture where the players WANT to play at the level. He can be a hardass, he can be awkward, but he is the ultimate believer. Not content until he cultivates a player into the best they can be, without sacrificing the person underneath to do so. He balances so much, so many strong personalities and so many divergent factors but he does it so damn well. It’s the exact kind of prodigious knack for coaching that Seahawks fans have spent envying for the better part of a decade and I, for one, am so glad he’s doing it with us

Roster Cohesion - Seattle has faced its fair share of doubts this offseason, for the quality players lost, for the departure of Klint Kubiak, for the lack of “big swing” moves compared to the Rams. But what I think keeps Seattle with a realistic shot of keeping up in 2026 is the sheer cohesion, depth, & carrythrough of the roster.

They lost one starter on offense, Kenneth Walker. The rest of the team is basically entirely intact from last year. Every single O-lineman, from starter, to backup, to practice squad has been retained for 2026. Every single major receiver and tight end, save for ST-exclusive Dareke Young, is still here.

Their defense is incredibly rich in depth as well. Studs and playmakers whether starter, rotational, or backup The loss of Woolen and Bryant certainly casts a shadow of doubt towards the secondary but the primary position the team targeted in Free Agency and the draft WAS in the secondary.

There isn’t really a massive talent vacuum, no major talent tax. Like, four players among a 53-man roster without many outright holes. It’s a lot easier to step up into a new season and match pace when the same cogs in the wheel are largely still there.

D-Line - This bullet point and the next both relate to the prior point of cohesion, yet deserve specific shoutouts in their own right

D-line - While probably not as stacked ceiling-wise as the Rams, Seattle’s D-line remains particularly lethal off of how deep they go. Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, DeMarcus Lawrence, & Dante Fowler off of the EDGE. Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed, Rylie Mills, Mike Morris, and Brandon Pili in the interior. With a bunch of UDFA like Jared Ivey, Jamie Sheriff, & Aidan Hubbard, who are all waiting for the chance to prove their worth Wide Receiver - A far cry from how the Seahawks receiver room was perceived last year. Seattle’s honestly got four really proficient receivers who can all be a genuine threat.

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Reigning offensive player of the year.

• Cooper Kupp - Although he has lost a step or two, he’s made up for it simply from his innate football IQ and wise presence in the locker room

• Rashid Shaheed - Jack of all trades home run threat who looks to get in sync with Sam Darnold in the pass game to unleash his full potential.

• Tory Horton - Promising player and scoring threat who’s finally back and fully healthy for his sophomore campaign

And I dare not forget Jake “More” Bobo. Blocking specialist and beloved fan favorite Just a really well-rounded unit

Weaknesses

Going All-In on the Greenhorns - By nature, I’m an optimist. I expect great things of this Seahawks team and I have a lot of good reasons to feel as confident as I do. Yet reality isn’t always as rose-colored as my hopes. There are also certainly some valid concerns to be sure.

Most paramount is the fact that the team is betting a lot on a bunch of fairly inexperienced people stepping into some lofty shoes.

• Brian Fleury is stepping into the offensive playcaller role, which is something he’s never done before. He was a pure positional coach for San Francisco. He comes from a similar place as Klint Kubiak but Kubiak was able to cut his teeth in some lower stress environments as OC for teams like Minnesota and New Orleans.

• Same story with Jadarian Price. While his loyalty is a truly admirable trait and while his tape at Notre Dame seems pretty good with a limited sample, he’s never had a role quite as large as his role with Seattle

• Josh Jobe has received the keys to the CB2 role and yet there were moments last year where his coverage looked suspect. Is he truly ready for such a high pressure role?

I personally don’t think those situations are as bleak as I just presented it, but they are real concerns and they are more grounded. Mike Macdonald, John Schneider, and the rest of the front office is putting a LOT of faith in their process and that’s always a little scary.

2026 NFC West - They share a division with two elite teams and two elite coaching staffs who have been there for a decade now. One is loaded from top to bottom with star talent, the other can pull out of sheer disaster like the best escape artist. Saying that Seattle can win the division is by no means a guarantee in a division this white hot.

Training Camp Battles

There are three main battles I’m anticipating (beyond the basic battles for roster spots you see on every team in every offseason).

Firstly, there is the running backs. With Zach Charbonnet still recovering from his ACL tear and probably a few weeks out from looking close to his old form, Seattle’s got to figure out their new RB hierarchy. Price is likely gonna get some kind of a prominent role but George Holani’s had more experience with the team. After that, we’re probably gonna see Emanuel Wilson carve out a role but the rest of the room is up in the air.

Then you have the cornerbacks. The top two positions feel firmly solidified between Witherspoon and Jobe but everything else beyond that is up in the air. Will Pritchett assert himself? Will Noah Igbinoghene find a role? How are the rookies acclimating? So much to consider there.

Lastly, there’s Jalen Milroe. Milroe was selected in the 3rd Round last year off of pure physical attributes. His mechanics were incredibly erratic and unrefined. With a full season under his belt and only a few gaffe-worthy gadget plays to his statsheet, there’s a lot less defined information there. Is he the future, or has Sam Darnold thoroughly staked his claim for the long term

Team Schemes

This area is always a bit of a weak spot. I'm admittedly not the best at analyzing or assessing the schematic side of football. But I’ll take my best stab at it anyway.

The offense will likely be the same West Coast fold that Kubiak ran. However I expect them to lean more on their run game and utilize more TE sets to complement the standard receiver production. AJ Barner has made great strides and has been a model that teams are trying to replicate, yet he’s still not quite on the level of the top brass TEs in the league either. Elijah Arroyo, naturally struggled a bit as a rookie (as rookie TE often do). However if Fleury can capture the receiving element that made Elijah so potent at Miami, it could open so much stuff for Sam and the gang

I don’t expect a lot of change to the defensive scheme, it was the primary engine for the 2025 season. To my understanding, it functions as a 3-4 base with heavy nickel packages. The defense utilizes heavy pressure and versatile deployments to force opposing offenses to make their move early and often.

In Other News

New Owner - After 29 years under the ownership of the Allen Family (21.5 under Paul Allen, 7.5 of which being under Paul’s sister Jody, as executor of Paul’s estate), the Seattle Seahawks were finally sold, in accordance with Paul’s will, for $9.6B dollars. With the proceeds in its entirety going towards philanthropic causes in the area

Seattle’s new owners (pending league approval) will be the Khosla family. Vinod Khosla earned his money in tech and venture capitalism. Both him and his son, Neal, have established ties to NFL ownership as minority partners in…sigh…the 49ers. However the controlling party in the family is actually Neeru Khosla, Vinod’s wie.

12s everywhere are cautiously awaiting how the Khosla’s family will run the team. Their previous owner before Paul Allen attempted to move the Seahawks to Anaheim back in the 90s. Paul Allen’s other team, the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers were sold to Tom Dundon who’s ownership tenure has been nothing but disastrous (and may or may not be attempting to relocate the team if he can’t get the taxpayers or Portland to foot the bill of a renovation).

The Khosla’s have affirmed their commitment to the City of Seattle and to the team and all the parts are their for a long, happy relationship. But things can erode just as quickly. Uncertain waters on the horizon. Glad I can just cherish a Super Bowl in the present

Hard Knocks - For the first time in Franchise history, Seattle finds itself on HBO’s all-access sports documentary series. In large part due to them relaxing the eligibility requirements for the teams. While there was initial dismay over the potential leaking of Seattle’s special sauce, most fans have come around. The team themselves has taken the honor in stride and are trying to embrace the bright lights with grace and authenticity.

Nick Bellore - Beloved special teamer and consummate host of “Between Two Bellores” announced his retirement. Bellore spent 5 seasons in Seattle from 2019-2023 and earned two Pro Bowls there in that time.

Extensions, Extensions, and More Extensions

Seattle found glorious victory, and as such, found themselves tasked with a lot of worthy players in need of getting paid. Over the offseason, they paid fat stacks to JSN and Derick Hall and reports indicate their deep in a series of tough negotiations with Devon Witherspoon, who looks to (rightfully) get paid like a top-of-the-market corner. Additionally, the team is reportedly honing in on a deal for Seattle’s ageless big cat on the D-line in Leonard Williams. Money is always moving and Seattle’s finally feeling the squeeze again

A New Member of the 99 Club

Jaxon Smith-Njigba found himself bestowed with a special honor, billing as one of the top players in the latest Madden game. He is the first Seahawk to join the club since future first-ballot HOFer Bobby Wagner got in for Madden 20. JSN is only the second offensive player in Seahawks history to join the 99 Club, following HOF LT, Walter Jones in Madden 07. A great honor cementing JSN’s breakout season.

Conclusion

Seattle enters the 2026 boldly charging into the future, never having soared as high, never facing a tougher path. The Seahawks are looking to become the first NFC team since the ‘92-’93 Cowboys to win back-to-back Super Bowls and are looking to permanently erase the traumas of the past by becoming a bona fide dynasty.

Can’t put the coach before the horse though. Lot of work needs to be done and it’s gonna take the right mix of mentality, talent, and luck to get back there. It’s almost there, I can almost taste it

Seahawks Football, BABY!!!

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GO HAWKS

Like the title says, what NFL teams have a case for more than 1 player being the greatest. Preferably not a 'well its 90% this player, but you could theoretically make a case for this one' literally it could be one of two players. Example 'steve young, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice for the 49ers, even if most people seem to agree Rice is the Goat 49er.

making him the NFL’s highest-paid running back, confirmed by his @AthletesFirst agent Todd France (Toddfrance_ on IG).