The 2025 Seahawks will look completely different offensively in 2025.

Certainly, you could surmise that from new quarterback Sam Darnold taking the reins, new wide receivers like Cooper Kupp and Marques Valdez-Scantling on the field along with 1st round draft pick Grey Zabel at offensive line.

But there’s so much more to it than that.

“I think if you’re not trying to get better, then the rest of the league’s catching up to everything you did on film last year,” said new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

“Those are the things that they’re practicing when they go to prepare for us. We have to make sure that we’re not predictable. But this time of year, we’re not worried about that. We’re just worried about having great fundamentals, teaching our system, holding our guys accountable. That’s what’s most important, because when the season starts and you start putting in new plays, that’s what’s going to help you win games — great fundamentals and effort,” Kubiak added.

I asked Abe Lucas, someone who of course played in the previous offense about how different it really is, he summed it up perfectly with charm saying, “It’s entirely new, so pretty much everything.”

To that end, Darnold is making sure this OTA is about so much more than installing the offense and verbiage that goes with it. Critical as that may be, it is about all of these new players learning to hit the field together and for one another.

A chemistry has to be built over this summer, so things are seamless in September.

“I thought all of OTAs has been amazing. Phase three, getting to practice with the guys has been great. It’s just been amazing to be able to come here, compete, continue to learn the offense, build with the guys, and be able to hang with the guys off the field too. It’s been great,” Darnold said.

“I think for me, I’ve always just kind of been myself, whatever that is. I think that might be a better question for one of my teammates. I just really like to do my job every day. I’m not going to be super vocal unless I have to be on the field, which of course, the quarterback — you’re leading the offense at the end of the day, and sometimes you need to be vocal. If it calls for that, I will be. But I’m definitely not a guy to force myself into talking much,” Darnold added of his locker room leadership.

As for those changes?

The Seahawks will get back to a ground and pound type game, they want to win on the ground. Certainly, they want to let Darnold hurt opponents with his arm too, but it starts up front. Creating situations and even re-implementing a fullback to the gameplan to open up everything else.

It will be a stark difference from Geno Smith being forced to throw the ball 50 times like we saw in 2024.

“I’ll put it like this,” said Lucas, “we’re trying to be elite at very few things, but those few things are what the offense is going to be based around, and that’s the run game. We’re going to be elite at the run game. That’s the philosophy with it. So, it’s not some hodgepodge of just a bunch of different stuff we’re just throwing in. We’re going to be elite at the basics and make sure that they work so we can do it against anybody.”

“Everybody wants to run the ball. But when you come in and it’s kind of a non-negotiable that we’re running the ball. We put a fullback in the backfield, we’re changing it up, we’re doing things differently. It’s like an old-school mentality with a new-school principle sort of thing. Definitely, just looking forward to getting after that,” Lucas added.

“I think it’s great to be able to first and foremost run the ball. When we’re running the ball the way that we know we will be able to, I think we’ll be able to put in keepers and do all those things on the perimeter that I think will really stress the defense, for sure,” said Darnold.

So the mission is laid out, the foundation is being set, and the work done over the next couple months will really determine how “elite” the Hawks can be at this. It’s a challenge to an offensive line that’s had to battle through adversity in recent years. The Seahawks used their first-round pick to address the line in a sign of their commitment to this new approach.

The quarterback is new, the coordinator is new, some of the receivers and linemen are, too.

Now? It’s about making sure they come together for a better result to complement a dominant defense in 2025.