Seattle Seahawks 2026 Offseason Outlook

To say the Seattle Seahawks exceeded expectations in 2025 is an understatement. In Sam Darnold’s first season as the starting quarterback and Mike Macdonald’s second season as head coach, the Seahawks won the NFC West, captured the NFC’s no. 1 seed and reached Super Bowl LX — where they proceeded to demolish the New England Patriots and capture the franchise’s second Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Super Bowl victory put an exclamation point on Darnold’s remarkable redemption story, while the “Dark Side” defense was dominant.

Last year’s success raises the bar for 2026, so just meeting expectations next season will be welcome. There are a few key free agents to address, notably Super Bowl LX MVP running back Kenneth Walker. Seahawks general manager John Schneider has established himself as one of the best on the business, so you can anticipate he will keep this roster competitive.

2025 recap

Seattle won its last seven regular-season games to finish 14-3 before getting red-hot in the postseason. With solid play at all three levels of defense, that unit got better and better as the season went on. Looking at their current 10-game winning streak, inclusing the playoffs, MVP Matthew Stafford and the Rams were the only team able to muster much offense against Seattle. In the other eight games of the streak, the Seahawks allowed an average of 10 points. With elite defensive players at all three levels, Seattle pitched a Super Bowl shutout for three quarters, sacking Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times and intercepting him twice.

Key free agents

RB Kenneth Walker III
WR Rashid Shaheed
DE Boye Mafe
S Coby Bryan
CB Riq Woolen

Seahawks salary cap space

$73,284,461

2026 draft needs

As good as Seattle’s defense is, age up front could be a concern. Veterans DeMarcus Lawrence (33) and Leonard Williams (31) aren’t getting any younger, so Schneider might be looking for some eventual replacements. The Seahawks might look to bolster their interior offensive line. And depending on Walker’s free-agent plans and backup running back Zach Charbonnet’s recovery from a torn ACL, RB could be a need.

2026 opponents

Home: Arizona, L.A. Rams, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, L.A. Chargers, New England, N.Y. Giants

Away:Arizona, L.A. Rams, San Francisco, Carolina, Denver, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Washington