The 2024 season feels like a long time ago in a galaxy far away.
Geno Smith was starting at QB and throwing passes to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, and Ryan Grubbs was calling plays on offense. Pete Carroll was working for the team in an advisory role, and many expected him to work his way into retirement in that capacity.
With the emergence of second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Lockett was the first to become expendable. Lockett was used sparingly as the third or even fourth option when he was on the field, recording fewer than 50 receptions for the first time in a season since 2018, when he was a third-year player and far from the primary option in the passing game. With a 62% drop in receptions between 2023 and 2024, it became apparent the team would be fine with a younger group at receiver, and Lockett was cut in March.
DK Metcalf posted back-to-back 66 reception seasons in 2023 and 2024, but his yards per reception and touchdowns took a hit, and he didn’t have the same impact in 2024, failing to eclipse 1000 yards for just the third time in his career and first since 2021. His five touchdowns were a career low, and some frustrating mistakes and penalties over the season made it clear he might not be a long-term fit in Seattle under the new regime. He requested and was granted a trade and will be playing in Pittsburgh this season.
JSN is the clear replacement for Lockett as he learned from Lockett and has a similar build and skillset, but replacing DK will be tricky. While the team will be free of his sometimes head-scratching decisions, they will also be missing his elite talent and the freakish athleticism that presented a large target while being faster than many defenders. That’s not something you can coach into your younger players.
Cooper Kupp was signed shortly after DK was traded, and while Kupp has a unique ability to catch in traffic and was once one of the best in the game, his best days are behind him, and we will have to see what level of playmaking he has left in the tank. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was signed in the spring but didn’t survive the roster reductions and was cut before signing with the 49ers.
Geno Smith was traded to the Raiders in early March, which came as a surprise to most, perhaps even Geno himself. The Raiders hired Pete Carroll to be their new coach, and he quickly worked out the deal in near secrecy with his old friends in Seattle to bring his QB to his new team. It was odd timing as Geno had signed a new contract last season and was expected to be the bridge between the old regime and the new offense they were constructing around him.
With Geno out, the team landed Sam Darnold in free agency. Darnold had a breakout season in Minnesota in 2024, leading the Vikings to the playoffs and stunning experts and fans alike after years of tough seasons with the Jets and Panthers, which had him labelled a bust. A QB-friendly coach running a QB-friendly system seemed to help Darnold rebound his career, similar to the way Geno did when he took over as the full-time starter in Seattle in 2022.
Darnold arrives in Seattle as a question mark instead of the clear answer, as he will be learning a new system, building rapport with new teammates, and working players new to Seattle into the fold. It won’t be easy, and adding to the challenge will be an offensive line that has to be better than they were last year, when it was among the league’s worst at protecting the QB.
Grey Zabel was drafted to be the new left guard and will line up between LT Charles Cross and center Jalen Sundell, and hopefully will be the missing piece for a line that looked out of sorts last season. Anthony Bradford started 11 games for Seattle at RG in 2024, and looked solid at times, and will be the starter to open the season. RT Abraham Lucas only appeared in seven games last season and was rarely healthy even when he was on the field. If Cross and Lucas are both healthy and the guys between them are above average or better, this could be the best offensive line Seattle has had in years and could spell great things for Darnold and the offense. If they falter, it could mean a rough situation for their new QB.
Tory Horton was drafted in the 5th round, and while he doesn’t have a bunch of veterans to unseat to get playing time, the rookie has impressed in camp, and the team believes he can contribute right away and will be on the field for three receiver sets.
New playcaller Klint Kubiak brings a system that should help a young offensive line by running the ball a majority of the time, and giving the QB better looks with play action. This will be great if RB Kenneth Walker III can stay healthy, as his unique blend of size and speed will be tough for defenses to deal with, and he should be well rested, as the previous OC simply forgot to call running plays for extended stretches last season.
A ball-control offense should help a young and hungry defense with a ton of talent at key spots. Ernest Jones IV is the heart of the defense and will be the heir to Bobby Wagner as the lead inside backer. Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II will anchor a revamped defensive line that should have better luck stopping the run and putting pressure on opposing QBs, and outside linebackers DeMarcus Lawrence and Boye Mafe should be able to cover tight ends and ramp up pressure, giving head coach and defensive play caller Mike Macdonald a lot of chess pieces to throw at offenses.
The secondary features corner Devon Witherspoon who has proven he can cover just about anyone, and he will be working with very good coverage near him as Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe earned their stripes in Macdonald’s system last year and will be back on the outside this season with Witherspoon doing some combination of lining up as a blitzer or dropping back or shadowing the other team’s best receiver. The kid can do it all, and it will be fun to see how the defense uses his strengths this season – especially with an improved pass rush, which will limit how much time receivers have to find open parts of the field before the ball is in the air.
Julian Love and Coby Bryant will be the starting safeties to open the season. Love has impressed in his short time in Seattle, and Bryant has had plenty of solid games. Still, he has also struggled at times bouncing between corner and safety. Hopefully, being locked into a starting spot and a specific position will help keep him grounded, as Macdonald will need him to be the Kyle Hamilton in this defense. Hamilton is one of the best at the position, so no pressure at all to be a legend for a kid who was also named after Kobe Bryant.
Seattle opens their season hosting the San Francisco 49ers, and they split the series with them in 2024. This will be a great test for the new look offense as the 49ers have a very good defense, and it will also be a good test for the improved defense, as the 49ers have one of the most efficient and aggressive offensive schemes in the game, with plenty of great players at key spots.
On paper, Seattle should be a 10-win team again, if not better. They should also be a playoff team, a privilege they were denied in 2024, and must strive to achieve this goal again this season. As long as they stay healthy there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to pile up a few wins at a time, and if they stick to their defense wins championships style with Macdonald and remember to run the ball often under Kubiak, this team could rewind the clocks to 2012 when they were one of the best teams in the league and won a playoff game and nearly won another.
I don’t think this team can be another version of the 2013 team, at least not yet. They have plenty of pieces to be a playoff team, but they will need several guys to make a big leap to be an elite team contending for a championship.
It’s playoffs or bust this year, and we will see if they can compete for a Super Bowl in 2026.
