Mike Tomlin didn’t just offer the Seahawks a little offseason wisdom - he handed Mike Macdonald the exact reminder defending champions need.
Seattle heads into 2026 as the Super Bowl winner, a sentence that still carries a bit of disbelief attached to it. But the title is in the books now, and the challenge shifts fast: repeating is a different kind of climb, even if the destination looks familiar.
Tomlin, who spent 19 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers before the two sides split this offseason, addressed that reality on The Dan Patrick Show when he was asked what he’d tell Macdonald after reaching the top of the NFL and trying to do it again.
“I think the number one thing is the journey. I think sometimes when you've been to the destination, and particularly when you've been to the destination recently, you want to hurry up and cut to the chase and you absolutely can't.
And so he's got to take his team through the process again," Tomlin said. "He's got to do the best that he can to wipe the slate clean and make sure they appreciate the present and the journey that they're on right now...
There's a lot of outside forces to be quite honest with you that's going to be helpful in that regard. I think the Rams are getting so much positive attention.
I think it's going to be an asset to him in terms of getting his group's attention in that regard."
That’s the heart of it for Seattle: no coasting, no living off last year’s banner, no assuming the road back will take care of itself. Tomlin’s “wipe the slate clean” line lands because it cuts straight to the job in front of Macdonald.
The championship is done. The new season starts the moment camp begins.
Tomlin also pointed to the Los Angeles Rams soaking up plenty of offseason buzz, and that part matters too. Even with Seattle having beaten L.A. on the way to the Super Bowl, the Rams are drawing a lot of the league’s shine right now. For Macdonald, that kind of attention elsewhere can be useful fuel for keeping his own group locked in.
The same message applies beyond the locker room. Seahawks fans can enjoy the fact that their team is the defending champion, but the league doesn’t pause for celebration. 2026 is a fresh year, and the task is simple to say and hard to do: get back to the Super Bowl and win it all again.
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