The new league year begins next week, and with it, free agency and possible trades, which means the Seahawks roster will look a bit different a week from now than it does currently. In other words, this mailbag might be out of date pretty soon, but that’s OK, it’s still a great time to answer some questions from you, the fans.
As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn’t able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.
@MrEd315 asks, “Which Seahawks offseason storyline ranks at the top right now?”
A: When you’re coming off a Super Bowl win, I think the biggest storyline is always how good of a job you can do maintaining what got you to the mountaintop. For the Seahawks, that starts with trying to keep players who are set to become free agents at the start of the new league year next week, including nine unrestricted free agents. The Seahawks won’t be able to keep everyone; that’s just the reality of an NFL offseason, and it’s especially true coming off a Super Bowl since teams tend to value players coming from Super Bowl winning teams. The Seahawks will spend next week and beyond trying to retain the players they can while also adding new free agents, but the focus is also always on the future beyond just this year, so the draft remains a key piece of the offseason even as free agency is going on.
And speaking of the future beyond just 2026, another big offseason storyline will be the long-term future of the 2023 draft picks, who are eligible for extensions this year. Leading that group are first-round picks and Pro-Bowlers Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both players are so critical to the team’s success, while also bringing all the intangibles to the team beyond their impressive on-field play, so it’s hard to imagine that both won’t get locked up with long term deals at some point, it’s more a matter of when than if. In the past, the Seahawks have usually used this time of year to focus on the current free-agent class before then turning their focus to the draft. After that, maybe in summer or even during training camp, you might start hearing more buzz about extensions for 2023 picks. The Seahawks do have the fifth-year option available for both Smith-Njigba and Witherspoon, so they can keep those two around through 2027 without a long-term deal, but again, both players so important to the team, it seems like both sides would just as soon get that long-term deal done sooner than later.
Then, once the roster is mostly assembled—there is, of course, constant change throughout a season—then it will be up to the players and coaching staff to figure out how to best recapture the magic they had last season while also allowing a new team to form its own identity. Repeating is never easy, but given the youth on the team and the number of key players back, the Seahawks are well positioned to make a run at the elusive repeat title.
@FiveStarGam1ng asks, “Who is the big-name trade/free agent signing going to be?”
A: First, I’m flattered that you think I’m privy to that kind of information a week before free agency. Secondly, even if I did know, I wouldn’t put it in a mailbag a week ahead of the new league year. Sorry.
That being said, nothing much surprises me anymore; we’ve seen over the years that general manager and president of football operations John Schneider is not afraid to make bold moves, whether it’s trading away his starting quarterback, something he has done twice during this time of year (and not, I absolutely am not saying that’s in play this year), or making a splashy trade to add players, or signing big-name free agents. I will say that, given the team’s success last year, as well as the way the roster is constructed, I don’t see this offseason coming with as many substantial changes as last year’s did when the Seahawks traded Geno Smith and DK Metcalf and released Tyler Lockett. Will they lose some free agents? Most likely, and they’ll add some players too. I’d never rule out a trade too, but I have no predictions for you.
@EllieTitanKilla asks, “Why does John Schneider always wait for teams to take our guys in free agency when we have the cap space to bring them back?”
A: The thing to understand when it comes to free agency is that, if extensions are done before or during a season, that player is going to test free agency more often than not, even if the Seahawks would prefer to sign them. The main incentive for signing an extension before becoming a free agent is to get that financial security while eliminating the risk of an injury preventing that deal from happening. Once a player is through a season, that injury risk is gone, so why wouldn’t a player and his agent want to wait it out and see what their market is when all 32 teams, not just one, can bid for his services?
We don’t know how many of the nine players set to become free agents have been offered deals by Schneider and company, but it’s not as if the Seahawks front office is just sitting around waiting for free agency to start; they’re talking with agents all the time; there’s just not a lot of incentive for a player to strike a deal between the end of the season and the start of the new league year.
It’s also worth remembering that the Seahawks can and have gotten deals done in the final days before the start of free agency once players have had the chance to negotiate with other teams, starting on Monday morning. Two years ago, the Seahawks signed Leonard Williams a day before free agency began, and a year later, they did the same with Ernest Jones IV. So just because the Seahawks haven’t extended a player yet, that doesn’t mean all the free agents are going to be with other teams by this time next season. As for that cap space you mentioned, yes, the Seahawks have some to work with, and they’ll spend some of it next week, but they are also looking ahead to other things, including extensions for members of the 2023 class, most notably Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
@ThatWiiMaster asks, “If the 2025 Seahawks are in the running for one of the best teams ever, does that cement their status as the best team in franchise history?”
A: This question comes in response to a story we published this week, which looks at the Seahawks’ case for being an all-time great team. That story was inspired by a quote from Mike Macdonald at the combine last week when he told Rich Eisen that his players “deserve to be recognized as one of the all-time great teams.” I get into some of the numbers and data that back that up in the story linked above, but saying the Super Bowl LX team is among the greats doesn’t necessarily mean they are hands down the best team in franchise history, because the 2013 team that won Super Bowl XLVIII was really damn good too. That team didn’t score at the rate the 2025 team did, but the defense was one of the best of all time, leading the NFL in points allowed, yards allowed, passing yards allowed and takeaways. Then that team capped it all off by holding the highest scoring offense in NFL history to eight points in the Super Bowl. I’m not about to predict which Super Bowl winning Seahawks squad would win if they were to face off; both were great in their own right, and both have a case to be considered as some of the best of the modern era.
@daxdaxdax.bsky.social asks, “Which coach are you stoked to see come back for next season?”
A: I mean, I’d start with the head coach, I’m glad Mike Macdonald is back. But I’m guessing this question was in reference to assistants the Seahawks could have possibly lost to promotions with other teams. I’ll offer one on each side of the ball, starting with offensive line coach John Benton. A well-respected veteran O-line coach, Benton had a big hand in the improvement shown by that position group, and keeping him on staff, while also returning all five starters from the 2025 line, gives the Seahawks a chance to build off of the grown shown last season.
On defense, I’m thrilled to see defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Karl Scott back for another season. Scott was a candidate for some defensive coordinator jobs this offseason, and it seems like it’s only a matter of time until he lands that role in the near future, so having him back for 2026 is a big deal. Scott was the only coach held over from Pete Carroll’s staff, and for good reason; he’s sharp, a good leader and is very well respected by his players.