The Next Test: A Preview of the 2026 Seattle Seahawks

Author’s note: This sports section has information as of August 30. For Bush athletics updates, visit BushBlazersAthletics.com. For national sports, see ESPN.com.

In terms of acquisitions, this year’s offseason for the Seattle Seahawks has been everything last year’s wasn’t. Last year, General Manager John Schneider executed perhaps his most intricate vision yet, trading franchise mainstays in quarterback Geno Smith and receiver DK Metcalf. Those players would proceed to have some of the worst seasons of their careers, while the Seahawks’ replacements, including Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp, thrived in executing Schneider’s vision, completely reforming the Seahawks’ roster. The key to this vision is Head Coach Mike Macdonald, who used his new units to create one of the most complementary teams the NFL has seen in years, leading to an emphatic Super Bowl victory in just his first season as Head Coach.

This offseason, the Seahawks faced a different task. Balancing high-performing players in need of new contracts with the desire to maintain their young core, Schneider made some controversial decisions. Chief among them (pun intended) was not franchise tagging Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, allowing him to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs. Three more starters from last year’s team followed suit by leaving in free agency. 

The Seahawks attempted to solve these problems in traditional—but less flashy—ways. To replace Walker, Schneider stuck to his mindset of drafting running backs instead of paying veterans, selecting Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price in the first round. Price was notably not the starter at Notre Dame, but was never quite overshadowed either, using his explosiveness and vision to be a key part of the best running back room in the nation. He will fill the starting role as Zach Charbonnet recovers from his torn ACL, and then they will likely split carries throughout the season.

The Seahawk who got the most money in free agency was edge rusher Boye Mafe, signing a three-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals in March. However, the Seahawks are prepared with their edge rush trio of DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derick Hall to help mask this loss. Shortly after, safety Coby Bryant signed with the Bears, prompting the Seahawks to draft TCU’s Bud Clark in the second round. A rangy and instinctive ball-hawk, Clark quickly became a fan favorite until he broke his ankle in the preseason. Ty Okada will hold down the safety role until Clark can challenge for it once again.

The Seahawks were prepared for these losses, but the glaring hole at cornerback depth is one that remains. After losing the volatile but skilled corner Riq Woolen to the Eagles, the Seahawks have done little to replace him, drafting Arkansas’s Julian Neal and signing Trevon Diggs and potentially Terrion Arnold. Diggs is a volatile, ball-hawking corner that, while talented, has dealt with injuries and inconsistency with the Cowboys. A former first-round pick, Arnold has been cast aside from the NFL after accusations of kidnapping. All of this is to say, the Seahawks are relying heavily on Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, and Nick Emmanwori (who is already dealing with an injury) to stay healthy at what is one of the most oft-injured positions in football.

On offense, the biggest question won’t be personnel though, it will be coaching. Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak became the Raiders’ head coach, forcing the Seahawks to find their fourth offensive coordinator in the last four years. This type of turnover isn’t rare; successful teams see it often in the NFL. However, it may mean more than many think. Losing an offensive coordinator often reshapes a team’s identity and stability, even when the personnel remains strong.

Klint Kubiak as the Raiders Head Coach

	Record before departure	Record after departure	Points Per Game Rank before departure	Points Per Game Rank after departure
Eagles 2024 & 2025	13-4	11-6	7th	19th
Eagles 2022 & 2023	14-3	11-6	3rd	7th
Rams 2021 & 2022	12-5	5-12	7th	27th
Eagles 2017 & 2018	13-3	9-7	3rd	18th
Falcons 2016 & 2017	11-5	10-6	1st	15th
Seahawks 2025 & 2026	14-3	N/A	3rd	N/A

Over the last 12 years, five teams have made the Super Bowl and lost their offensive coordinator the year after. These teams averaged 12.6 wins per year and finished with an average rank of around fourth in points per game with their previous coordinator. The next season, they averaged just nine wins, with the 17th-highest average ranking in points per game. So, for these teams, losing their coordinator either contributed to or led to the unraveling of an elite group into a merely ordinary unit.

The Seahawks attempted to solve that issue with Brian Fleury, the former tight ends coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Fleury comes from the Kyle Shanahan offensive system that Klint Kubiak used, providing scheme continuity for the team. While Fleury is an established hire in his own right, this move was clearly designed to keep the offensive personnel in tune with what they had mastered the previous season. “It’s this year’s version of last year’s offense,” said Mike Macdonald in a press conference, and if that mitigates the effects of losing Kubiak, the Seahawks may be able to buck the trend.

Someone who has quickly embraced the hire is Sam Darnold, who proved himself with a stellar postseason performance last January. Kubiak has received a lot of praise for building the scheme for Darnold to succeed, but Darnold sees continuity even with Kubiak gone: “It’s a lot of the same stuff (with) Fleury obviously coming from San Francisco, but a couple different wrinkles here and there. So it’s been good that way to be able to get some of that same verbiage.”

Brian Fleury and Sam Darnold in training camp

While the Seahawks’ defense faces key roster shifts, the offense does have the benefit of retaining all of its starters except at running back, which is seen by many as a replaceable position. Even so, regression seems inevitable for an offense that undeniably ran hot at the end of last season. Whether that regression is to the eighth-best offense or the 18th-best will be critical. The Seahawks will likely not dominate their way to a Super Bowl like last year. They can still get there, though, but they will have to prove that last year’s success was more than a product of perfect circumstances, and that the structure Schneider and Macdonald built can survive losing some of the pieces that made it work.