I Have No Idea If This Will Work, But I'm Excited To Find Out!

Well... that was quick! About ten or so days ago, I was getting to say goodbye to one of my all-time favorite Seahawks, Tyler Lockett. It was tough to see number 16 leave after ten seasons with the team, but it was trending for a long time, so when the team did announce they were parting ways with Lockett, it was no surprise. Everything that has happened afterwards has been crazy.

On the same day Lockett was cut, star wideout D.K. Metcalf requested a trade, which led to a flurry of action by the team. The Seahawks wasted no time in trading Metcalf as he was sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second-round pick. Along with Metcalf leaving Seattle, the team decided to move off their starting quarterback Geno Smith, one of the better deep ball throwers in football, who was then traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick. Seattle, over the last few years, has had one of the most skilled offensive units in the NFL, but now the core of that offense, which consisted of Smith, Metcalf, and Lockett, is all gone.

You would think that a team would be preparing to rebuild and start over after bidding farewell to so many of its key players. However, that's not the case in Seattle. Instead of going in rebuild mode, it appears General Manager John Schneider is reloading, and while I am not sure how successful it will be, I am excited to see how this next era of Seahawks football will go.

Let's start with new quarterback Sam Darnold, who Seattle signed to a three-year contract worth $100.5 million, with $55 million guaranteed. I will be honest, I am not completely sold on Darnold as the long-term answer at QB. It feels like last year in Minnesota he was in a perfect situation with a young offensive mind in Kevin O'Connell calling the plays and some of the best weapons in all of football at his disposal.

That being said, he did need to go out on the field and execute and played like one of the best quarterbacks in football until the last two games of the Vikings season. Seattle witnessed firsthand how good he can be. In a Week 16 game, Darnold threw for three touchdowns against the Seahawks, including the game-winning one to Justin Jefferson with minutes to go in a Vikings win that all but ended the Seahawks' hopes of making the playoffs.

While I don't think he is the answer under center for the next decade, given how well he played last year and being just 27 years old, he just could be worth the gamble.

Let's move on to who Darnold's throwing to. Cooper Kupp, the former Super Bowl MVP who was released by the division rival Los Angeles Rams, is returning to his home state of Washington to pair up with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is ready to take over as wide receiver one in Seattle. If Kupp can stay healthy, he and Smith-Njigba could be one of the more fascinating wide receiving duos in all of football, and given how good the two of them are in the slot, they should be able to help Darnold out a lot with those easy completions to move the chains. 

I would like to see the team add a bit more speed outside, but with plenty of draft capital to work with now, I do expect them to find a downfield threat in the draft.

Additionally, Mike Macdonald's defense isn't sitting still. Macdonald, over the second half of the season, turned this into a legitimately good unit, and heading into year two, he has brought new pieces. The big addition is former Dallas Cowboy DeMarcus Lawrence, who should help this defensive line if he can stay on the field. Given the potential they showed last year, this defense could very well finish as a top defense in the league.

In all, I'm not sure if this is a great idea or if it will be a full-blown disaster. With Darnold throwing it to Kupp and JSN and the defense causing havoc, the Seahawks could end up being a legit contender in the NFC West. Or it can all fall apart quickly if Kupp can't stay healthy, and Darnold turns back into his prior 2024 self. If this team is going to succeed, there is no denying that they still have a serious offensive line need that very well could decide the outcome of the 2025 season. However, GM John Schneider has the resources to fill those gaps now that he has a lot of cap room available and draft picks to work with.  As a Seahawks fan, I appreciate that the franchise has decided to make major changes and am excited to see what this direction of football in Seattle looks like.