The Seattle Seahawks are carrying a rare kind of buzz into the 2026 NFL season, and ESPN’s latest future power rankings only pour more fuel on it. Fresh off winning Super Bowl 60 over the New England Patriots, Seattle isn’t just being viewed as a team with immediate upside. ESPN sees the Seahawks as the franchise best positioned to stay on top through the 2029 season.
That’s the headline: No. 1 overall.
ESPN gave Seattle an “Overall score” of 88.7, which edged out the Philadelphia Eagles at 88.1 and the Detroit Lions at 86.2. That score is built around the pieces that matter most long term - the roster outside of quarterback, plus coaching and front office - and the Seahawks came out on top in the biggest category. ESPN analysts Ben Solak, Louis Riddick, Aaron Schatz, and Seth Walder ranked Seattle’s non-QB roster as the best in football.
The quarterback situation still held up well enough to keep Seattle near the top, too. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks’ QB room landed at No. 16 in the league. Mike Macdonald’s coaching staff checked in at No. 3, while John Schneider’s front office was ranked No. 2 overall.
Put it all together, and the picture is pretty clear: Seattle has the kind of structure teams spend years trying to build. The roster is young, the talent base comes largely through the draft, and there are enough players who can make a case as elite at their positions to keep the Seahawks in the conversation for a long time.
For a team that just lifted the Lombardi Trophy, ESPN’s ranking suggests the run may not be a one-off. The Seahawks aren’t just set up for 2026 - they’re being treated like the safest bet in the NFL through 2029.
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Seahawks fans know the arc of that story as well as anyone. Metcalf requested a trade after the 2024 season and was dealt to Pittsburgh, where he signed an extension through 2029, while Seattle moved on and won the Super Bowl the following season. For Metcalf, the new setting brings fresh pressure and a longer runway, but the debate around him has followed him from one team to the next, and it is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
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For a division race that already figures to be shaped by health as much as talent, that leaves Arizona trying to piece together answers on the fly. Seattle has its own news to manage after locking up cornerback Devon Witherspoon and issuing updates on fullback Robbie Ouzts and Terrion Arnold, but the Cardinals situation is the one that most directly keeps the Seahawks watching the depth chart across the field. [Read more 🡒]
