
When the 2025 NFL season began, it is safe to say that this Sunday's Super Bowl LX matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots was not on everyone's bingo card, considering neither team even made the playoffs last season.
While the incredible job that Mike Vrabel has done in his first season as the head coach of the Patriots cannot be ignored, Seattle's ability to get back to the Super Bowl with an entirely different roster than the last time it was there in the 2014 season is arguably the most impressive.
ESPN's Peter Schrager echoed those sentiments during an appearance on Monday's edition of "First Take."
"John Schneider, the (general manager), who's not a household name everywhere, is the best executive in this sport and what he has done is unprecedented," Schrager said." "And he's the first GM in NFL history to take two different teams to the Super Bowl with entirely different rosters. He was the GM of the Russell Wilson years and he was the GM of the Pete Carroll years. 10 years later, same GM, not a single holdover from those teams is on this team."
"Seattle, it's amazing what they've done."@PSchrags on who had a more impressive Super Bowl run between the Patriots and Seahawks pic.twitter.com/wZpkdBamib
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 2, 2026
Since that most recent Super Bowl appearance that resulted in a loss to the Patriots following Malcolm Butler's game-sealing interception in the closing seconds, the Seahawks have completely revamped their roster.
Quarterback Russell Wilson has not been the same since, and Carroll was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders after just one season in charge. Macdonald's immediate success and Sam Darnold's redemption season are just two of the 'right answers' that Schneider continues to find, something else Schrager is impressed with.
"It is like John Schneider has picked every right route when it comes to a, b, or c. He has chosen the right answer and they have done so without this giant lull," Schrager continued. "Which is why, the Patriots story is amazing. They've been awful the last two years and (owner) Robert Kraft had to bite the bullet and buy an entire coaching staff out after one year and then spend the most ever in free agency that same offseason. Seattle's never been through that lull. They've always been good. They've never had those years of 4-13 or 5-12. Seattle, it's amazing what they've done."
Many wondered how Darnold would fare in his first season as a Seahawk, especially following the 14-win season he led the Minnesota Vikings to during the 2024 campaign. Before that, the 2018 No. 3 overall pick struggled with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before spending the 2023 season as the backup for the San Francisco 49ers.
After joining seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady as the only QBs to win 14 or more games in back-to-back seasons, getting to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and potentially tack on Super Bowl MVP would be a perfect way to cap Darnold's redemption arc, especially considering the frustrating rookie season Minnesota QB J.J. McCarthy experienced.
From Darnold's career year and a defense that ranks first in the league in points allowed (17.1 PPG), the Seahawks are in position to achieve Super Bowl glory for the second time in franchise history.
The Patriots are a great story as well, given how poorly they played before Vrabel's arrival. However, Seattle's ability to construct an entirely different roster from its last Super Bowl win is certainly not lost on Schrager.
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