Two years ago, the Seahawks took a risk in hiring a 36-year-old Mike Macdonald who only had two years of experience as a coordinator at the NFL level. As they celebrate in confetti, joyous off a win fueled by Macdonald’s defense, the toughest defense to score against in 2025, it’s clear the risk was well worth the reward.
While the defense held the spotlight for most of the biggest game of the year, there are plenty of things to point to when determining how Seattle got to this place in 2025. Starting with the defense, though, Macdonald inherited a group that allowed the eighth-most points and the third-most yards in 2023. In his first year at the helm, that unit improved greatly to the league’s 11th-best scoring defense and the 14th-best total defense. They finished 2025 having allowed the fewest points and the sixth-fewest yards in the NFL.
The team’s defensive personnel looks extremely different than it did two years ago. With Bobby Wagner, Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Jordyn Brooks, Dre’Mont Jones, and Michael Jackson all departed, the Seahawks made an effort to get younger on defense, building around promising, young players like Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love with defenders who would fit in Macdonald’s system. By trading for Ernest Jones, drafting players like Byron Murphy and Nick Emmanwori, keeping Leonard Williams from hitting the free agent market, and bringing in free agents DeMarcus Lawrence, Josh Jobe, and Jarran Reed, Seattle gave one of the league’s best defensive minds a completely retooled defense that dominated throughout their Super Bowl-winning season.
Macdonald didn’t just make significant changes to the defense, though. He also realized that turning around an offense that finished 21st in yards and dead last in points scored in 2023 was going to be a priority. While the unit improved in 2024, there was a determination that what was in place was not good enough. The team fired rookie NFL offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, traded away resurgent veteran quarterback Geno Smith, traded away unhappy wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, and released ten-year mainstay Tyler Lockett.
Credit can go to general manager John Schneider and his front office staff for this year’s offense, built around young draft picks like running back (and Super Bowl LX MVP) Kenneth Walker III, Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zach Charbonnet, AJ Barner, and all five starting offensive lineman who were drafted in the last four years — aside from center Jalen Sundell who signed last year as an undrafted free agent. The necessary supplement to Schneider’s strong draft success to make this unit the third-best scoring offense with the eighth-most yards gained was just the right free agent additions. A new resurgent quarterback, Sam Darnold, and a savvy No. 2 receiver in Cooper Kupp proved to be the perfect fit.
As the Seahawks look to run it all back in 2026, there will be some contract situations to address. Walker, Jobe, Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant, Riq Woolen, and midseason trade acquisition Rashid Shaheed are all set to become unrestricted free agents in March, while starting linebacker Drake Thomas is set to become a restricted free agent. Luckily, Seattle is in an excellent position when considering cap space for 2026. With their biggest cap hits coming from Darnold ($36.9MM), Williams ($29.64MM), Uchenna Nwosu ($20.77MM), and Kupp ($17.5MM), the Seahawks are sitting pretty with approximately $73.28MM of cap space, per OvertheCap.com, good for the sixth-highest amount in the NFL. And while they only have four draft picks for this coming April, they hold all three of their Day 1 & 2 picks.
After falling short in the toughest game they played this year, the Patriots will turn focus now on how to get back to this spot and make sure this sort of offensive performance never happens again. New England rode the league’s No. 2 scoring offense and No. 3 total offense to the Super Bowl then struggled offensively throughout the playoffs. While their defense held AFC opponents in check, in great part due to forcing eight turnovers throughout the postseason, MVP runner up Drake Maye averaged didn’t throw for over 235 yards until tonight, and the offense gave up eight turnovers of its own. And while the running game had buoyed the offense during the run to Super Bowl, Seattle’s defense held them to only 79 yards on the ground.
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Not even close as most predicted, Seahawks earned that. The #1 defense remains unbeaten against #1 and 2 offenses in SB.
Montana put up 55 against Denver’s PPG defense which was 1st.
Huge rumor if true.
All speculation
Happy for Kenneth Walker and Sam Darnold. Great team win and a dominant defense. The NE offensive line had a bad night. Maye will learn from this experience.
Darnold becomes the third QB since 2020 to win in his first year starting for his team. Brady with TB and Stafford with the Rams also won.
Seattle just outplayed, out coached New England. Seattle has been doing it on defense all season, the best team won and crowned the Super Bowl champs for 2026 season.
T be fair, New England was gifted this playoff run. Next year they’re going to have to earn it with a first place schedule and next to last draft position.
They still earned it but their offensive postseason woes continued. Vrabel will get even more help for that offensive line. They still should have ran the ball more to help Maye tonight.
Sam Darnold is a Super Bowl champion. Just wow
I still say, “Why Minnesota, this possibly could have been you with that SB Trophy in hand” Really made a mistake by letting Darnold walk.
KOC is not the coach MacDonald is. Flores gets the defense to play though.
Before Allen and Jackson lol, how to turn around a career
That’s another crazy one. Before burrow and Herbert too lmao
Had the 49ers not restored his confidence, this wouldnt have happened. Maybe Mac Jones can help a team in the near future as starter?
If Niners let him go that is.
As a Jets fan, I’m happy to see Darnold and Leonard Williams win a Super Bowl. Really fun Seattle team. They earned this.
100%. What a journey
Amazing what the NFL has become. Just a bunch of pretty good teams at the top of the league. Made for a boring Super Bowl too. But congrats to the Seahawks. A championship is a championship.
That’s not fair. That defense is suffocating
The game was too big for Maye.
He did look like he had that deer in the headlights look, the moment was way to be for him. New England OL was exposed over and over again on pass plays. But it was definitely about showing Maye still has some growing to do as an NFL QB. But when a team is outcoached, it’s the QB that takes the sacks.