How bright is Seattle Seahawks' future? This stat sums it up

Life is quite good for the Seattle Seahawks right now.

Both for 2025 and beyond.

In the present, the Seahawks are 12-3 and sitting atop the NFC standings with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. They’re one win away from becoming just the third team in franchise history to reach 13 regular-season wins. And with victories in their final two games, they would claim the NFC’s No. 1 seed and become the franchise’s first-ever 14-win team.

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As for the future? It also looks very bright.

That’s because, in addition to being one of the NFL’s best teams, the Seahawks are also one of the youngest.

According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, based on data through Week 15, the Seahawks have a snap-weighted average age of 26.3 years, which ranks as the third-youngest in the NFL. (Snap-weighted average age factors in how many snaps each player plays, so it provides a more accurate representation than simply looking at a team’s overall average age.)

The only teams younger than the Seahawks are the Packers (9-5-1) and the Jets (3-12), who both have a snap-weighted average age of 25.8.

Winning with young talent

The Seahawks are one of six teams that have a winning record and rank in the younger half of the league in snap-weighted average age:

• Packers (9-5-1) – youngest (25.8 years)
• Seahawks (12-3) – 3rd-youngest (26.3 years)
• Panthers (8-7) – 5th-youngest (26.5 years)
• Eagles (10-5) – 6th-youngest (26.6 years)
• Texans (10-5) – 7th-youngest (26.8 years)
• Bears (11-4) – 12th-youngest (26.9 years)

A closer look

The Seahawks have the second-youngest offense (25.8 years) and the 13th-youngest defense (26.8 years) by snap-weighted average age.

On offense, Seattle has six starters who are 25 or younger: NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba (23), left tackle Charles Cross (25), running back Kenneth Walker III (25), tight end AJ Barner (23), rookie left guard Grey Zabel (23) and right guard Anthony Bradford (24).

And on defense, Seattle has five key contributors who are 25 or younger: three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon (25), standout defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (23), Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Nick Emmanwori (21), edge rusher Derick Hall (24) and linebacker Drake Thomas (25).

Of course, some of that young talent will become a lot more expensive in the near future once their rookie contracts expire. That could lead to some difficult decisions over which players the Seahawks should prioritize for contract extensions, beginning with their ultra-productive 2022 draft class.

But it helps that Seattle is also well positioned from a salary cap perspective, holding the eighth-most cap space at roughly $16.9 million, according to OverTheCap.com.

Seattle’s NFC West rivals

While the Seahawks are one of the NFL’s youngest teams, their two biggest rivals are on the other end of the spectrum.

The 49ers (11-4) are the sixth-oldest team at 27.6 years, while the Rams (11-4) are the eighth-oldest at 27.3 years.

However, most of the 49ers’ and Rams’ age is consolidated on the offensive side of the ball. The 49ers have the league’s oldest offense (29.3 years), but the third-youngest defense (25.7 years). And the Rams have the league’s second-oldest offense (28.4 years), but the eighth-youngest defense (26.3 years).

How bright is Seattle Seahawks’ future? This stat sums it up

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