The Seattle Seahawks have spent an unusual offseason for a reigning Super Bowl champion: not making much noise.
While plenty of attention has drifted toward the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle has stayed in the background despite coming off a championship season and getting the Hard Knocks treatment. The Seahawks will step back into the spotlight next Wednesday when they open the NFL season against the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl LX rematch, but the conversation around the NFC West has largely centered elsewhere.
That has not gone unnoticed. SI.com’s Gilberto Manzano argued that the lack of buzz could actually work in Seattle’s favor.
"No one seems to be talking about the reigning Super Bowl champions. Despite being on Hard Knocks, the bulk of the spotlight was on the team they beat in the NFC championship game," Manzano wrote.
"However, this could be a good thing for Mike Macdonald’s crew. They usually thrive when they’re being counted out. There’s plenty of motivation before Seattle begins its quest to repeat, which starts Wednesday in the opener against the Patriots."
The Rams have drawn much of the offseason attention after making aggressive moves to address their defense, including trades for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. That has led some to view Los Angeles as the favorite, even after its NFC championship game loss to Seattle.
The Seahawks, by contrast, chose continuity over headlines. Their biggest addition is Jadarian Price, who is set to step in for Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker after Walker left in free agency.
Seattle did not chase a splashy makeover. It kept the core together and leaned into what already worked.
That approach fits the way this team has handled the past year. Seattle entered the 2025 season with plenty of uncertainty in its second year under Mike Macdonald, and the decisions made then were met with plenty of criticism. Macdonald and general manager John Schneider traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the move to Sam Darnold drew doubts from plenty of observers who saw it as a downgrade from Smith.
Instead, those moves ended up paying off. Darnold gave Seattle the steady play it needed, and Smith-Njigba benefited from the opening left by Metcalf’s departure. Now, with Macdonald heading into his third season as head coach, the Seahawks are once again positioned to make people rethink the way they’re being viewed.
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For the Seahawks, that backdrop matters because the spending arms race in the NFC West has not slowed down. Leonard Williams landed a three-year, $90 million extension with significant guaranteed money and bonuses, showing how aggressive Seattle has been about keeping premium talent in the fold. With Arizona finalizing Wilsons deal after negotiations went down to the wire, the wider message is clear: the divisions front offices are still willing to pay for key players, and the timing and structure of those contracts is becoming just as important as the headline number. [Read more 🡒]
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John Schneider and Mike Macdonald see Smith as the sort of smart, reliable piece that can help in more than one phase, with a path to work at nickel and on special teams. For a roster still sorting out its third cornerback options, the move does more than add competition - it raises the bar for everyone else fighting to carve out a role. [Read more 🡒]