What's next for the Seattle Seahawks

After capturing their franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night, the future looks incredibly bright for the Seattle Seahawks.

What makes John Schneider’s 2nd Super Bowl win so impressive

They have one of the NFL’s youngest rosters, filled with talent and depth on both sides of the ball. They have a 38-year-old defensive mastermind head coach in Mike Macdonald, who transformed Seattle’s defense into the league’s best unit. They have the NFL Executive of the Year in general manager John Schneider, who seemingly pushed all the right buttons over the past few years.

And according to Over the Cap, the Seahawks have the sixth-most salary cap space in the league at roughly $72.3 million, which no doubt will come in handy as they aim to keep as many core players in Seattle as possible.

So, what’s next for the Seahawks as they soar into the offseason? Here’s a brief primer.

The first order of business

With Klint Kubiak having departed to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach, Macdonald is tasked with hiring his third offensive coordinator in as many years.

Whether the Seahawks promote internally or hire an outside candidate, it’s imperative they find the right fit to maintain a level of continuity for quarterback Sam Darnold, along with a rushing attack that hit its stride down the stretch. A key factor in that could be how many offensive assistants Seattle is able to retain.

Extension candidates

• WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• CB Devon Witherspoon
• DT Leonard Williams

NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba and three-time All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon are both entering the final year of their rookie contracts. As budding superstars and franchise cornerstones, both seem like no-brainers for contract extensions this offseason.

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Leonard Williams could be another possible extension candidate, as the 31-year-old is heading into the final season of his three-year, $64.5 million contract.

Key unrestricted free agents

• RB Kenneth Walker III
• WR Rashid Shaheed
• EDGE Boye Mafe
• S Coby Bryant
• CB Riq Woolen
• CB Josh Jobe

The Seahawks already reached contract extensions with two players in their talented 2022 draft class: left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abraham Lucas.

Now, they have decisions to make with four other key players from that group: Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, edge rusher Boye Mafe, safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Riq Woolen.

It also will be interesting to see if they’re able to re-sign midseason trade acquisition Rashid Shaheed, whose three return touchdowns on special teams were pivotal to Seattle’s championship run.

Draft outlook

• 1st round, pick No. 32
• 2nd round, pick No. 64
• 3rd round, pick No. 96
• 6th round, pick No. 212

After adding a slew of young talent through last year’s 11-player draft class, the draft will likely look quite a bit different for the Seahawks this spring. Seattle currently has just four picks, but expect Schneider to swing at least one or two trades to add more draft capital.

Potential areas to upgrade

• Cornerback: This depends on whether the Seahawks re-sign Woolen and Jobe. If one of them departs in free agency, expect cornerback to be an emphasis for Seattle in free agency and/or the draft.

• Right guard: Given the up-and-down nature of Anthony Bradford’s play, this is certainly a spot the Seahawks could look to bolster.

What’s next for the Seattle Seahawks

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