[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2026 NFL Preview magazine. Order your issue online today, or grab a copy at newsstands and retail racks nationwide.]
Ernest Jones IV was sporting a “SUPER BOWL LX CHAMPIONS” cap and smoking a cigar. Champagne and beer sprayed. Bass boomed throughout the locker room. The linebacker and his teammates had simply dominated the Patriots to win Seattle’s second Vince Lombardi Trophy in its 50-year NFL historical past. Yet there Jones was, in that raucous Seahawks locker room at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, feeling unhappy.
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“Honestly, it’s so surreal, man,” Jones stated amid all of the celebration after Super Bowl LX. “I’m just looking at all the guys celebrating, and it means everything. Honestly, this [Super Bowl] week’s been super sad. Because unfortunately, it has to end. Unfortunately, I don’t get a chance to be around these guys next week. There are no more games. And it’s not going to be the same group. It sucks, honestly.”
More NFL staff previews
AFC East:Bills | Dolphins | Jets | Patriots
AFC North: Bengals | Browns | Ravens | Steelers
AFC South: Colts | Jaguars | Texans | Titans
AFC West:Broncos | Chargers | Chiefs | Raiders
NFC East: Commanders| Cowboys | Eagles | Giants
NFC North:Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings
NFC South:Buccaneers | Falcons | Panthers | Saints
NFC West:49ers | Cardinals | Rams | Seahawks
Seahawks coaches and gamers stated it all through their 2025 season: The cause they received all of it was their tradition and sense of brotherhood underneath head coach Mike Macdonald. Veterans and rookies alike stated they’d by no means felt such camaraderie inside a locker room.
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Can the Seahawks come near replicating that togetherness? A optimistic signal emerged this spring. Macdonald advised his veterans to get pleasure from their Super Bowl title and keep house for the primary phases of the voluntary offseason program. Yet on Day 1 of Phase 1, Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon, Eleventh-year defensive deal with Jarran Reed and fourth-year outdoors linebacker Derick Hall have been within the staff’s weight room lifting with younger, developmental Seahawks. “I was blown away by some of the guys that showed up and that we weren’t asking to be here at this point in time,” Macdonald says. “The energy is really great. There’s still a sense of urgency and spirit to the guys, which is exciting.”
Offense
The solely losses on this facet of the ball: Super Bowl MVP working again Kenneth Walker III signed a $43 million free-agent cope with the Kansas City Chiefs, and play-caller Klint Kubiak is the Las Vegas Raiders’ new head coach.
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Those are important exits. In his solely season calling the offense, Kubiak had the Seahawks close to the highest of the league in proportion of working performs. Walker shared carries with Zach Charbonnet, who rushed for 12 touchdowns, Seattle’s most since Marshawn Lynch in 2014. But Charbonnet tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee throughout Seattle’s NFC divisional playoff recreation in opposition to San Francisco in mid-January and will not return till properly into this coming season, if then. Charbonnet’s damage and Walker’s exit prompted the Seahawks to make Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price solely the fourth working again chosen within the first spherical within the franchise’s 51-year historical past.
New offensive coordinator Brian Fleury arrives after a stint because the 49ers’ run-game coordinator and tight ends coach. He’s steeped within the Shanahan outside-zone working system, the scheme Kubiak put in to nice impact in 2025.
Price has the within observe to be Seattle’s new lead again. Emanuel Wilson, a part-time again with the Green Bay Packers, signed in free company. Former undrafted free agent George Holani enters his third season.
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Darnold enters the second yr of a three-year deal having already justified Macdonald’s and normal supervisor John Schneider’s determination in March 2025 to commerce Geno Smith and make the well-traveled Darnold Seattle’s new franchise quarterback. Darnold’s three-year, $100 million contract is already a cut price.
Darnold has reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and 2022 Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp returning as his high targets. The Seahawks re-signed Rashid Shaheed for $17 million per season extra for his Pro Bowl kickoff and punt return abilities than for his duties as third vast receiver. The staff expects speedy Tory Horton to return from the shin damage that ended his rookie season in November. Tight finish AJ Barner is an rising star. In two seasons, he’s confirmed to be a extra harmful receiver than he confirmed in school at Michigan and Indiana, the place he was extra of a blocker.
Veteran NFL outside-zone trainer John Benton returns to educate the offensive line, Seattle’s most improved unit in 2025. Bookend tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas signed large extensions. Grey Zabel debuted as a stud Day 1 starter at left guard, fixing an issue spot. Jalen Sundell, an undrafted rookie in 2024 from North Dakota State (the place he was Zabel’s roommate), solidified the middle spot. Anthony Bradford returns because the maligned proper guard coming into the ultimate yr of his rookie contract. Rookie Beau Stephens will problem him.
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Defense
The 39-year-old Macdonald, the previous Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, has 10 starters returning to a unit that led the league in scoring protection.
Seattle re-signed Josh Jobe to start out reverse Witherspoon at cornerback. Riq Woolen signed with Philadelphia in March after alternating with Jobe in a three-cornerback rotation, and the Seahawks drafted Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal within the third spherical as a possible alternative. They additionally drafted TCU security Bud Clark within the second spherical after Coby Bryant, Seattle’s beginning security subsequent to Julian Love final season, signed with Chicago.
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Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori are Macdonald’s favourite chess items. He strikes them round his amoeba protection, from inside at nickel and dime, to blitzing, to press-man or zone protection. Emmanwori is listed as a security, however he’s actually extra of a linebacker. Nickel and dime are basically the Seahawks’ base units.
The Seahawks misplaced edge Boye Mafe to a $20 million-per-year free-agent contract in Cincinnati however crammed the hole by signing 10-year veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. to a one-year deal. Fowler had three sacks for Dallas in 2025 however 10.5 with 14 tackles for a loss for Washington in 2024.
Defensive finish DeMarcus Lawrence, 34, is coming off a Pro Bowl season. This will likely be his thirteenth NFL marketing campaign. Fellow Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams is 32, and Reed will flip 34 this winter. Whether the Seahawks can proceed to get elite performances from that trio, who possess 33 mixed seasons of expertise, will likely be a key to the continued success of the Seahawks’ hybrid 3-4 protection. A repeat of versatile deal with Byron Murphy II’s stellar 2025 would assist.
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Specialists
By most metrics, Seattle had the league’s greatest particular groups in 2025. So the Seahawks retained Shaheed in addition to different core gamers from the kicking recreation. Placekicker Jason Myers, 35, is coming off a profession yr. Michael Dickson and the New York Giants’ Jordan Stout are the NFL’s richest punters at greater than $4 million per season apiece, and Dickson is well worth the cash. He’s a weapon who tilts area place in favor of Seattle’s game-changing protection.
Final evaluation
The Seahawks return 20 of twenty-two starters from the staff that received the Super Bowl. Health, in fact, is the important thing to a repeat. The considerations: the unproven working again state of affairs on a run-based offense; the reliance on a quickly growing old line of defense; and the Los Angeles Rams, who nonetheless have reigning MVP Matthew Stafford. Expect Seattle and L.A. to win at the very least 12 video games apiece whereas preventing for the NFC West title and the convention’s high playoff seed.
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Related: Athlon Sports 2026 NFL Preview Magazine Now Available
This story was initially revealed by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2026, the place it first appeared within the NFL part. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.