Just weeks after Seattle won the Super Bowl, the defending champions are already being written off. Critics insist last season was a one-off, that Sam Darnold cannot reproduce his playoff magic,and that the departures of key players have closed the championship window. The doubters point to one brutal fact: seven of the eight highest quarterback cap hits last year missed the playoffs. Seattle’s own quarterback now joins that expensive tier,and the warning is clear.
— success in the modern NFL comes with a hefty price tag. that could dismantle everything they built. But those closest to the team aren’t accepting the narrative. “We won it,” one former champion closely tied to the franchise said.
“We ain’t been beat yet. ” That defiant stance captures the tension around Seattle’s offseason. Management made difficult choices, letting go of both Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker and starting cornerback Tariq Woolen. Both were critical pieces of the championship run.
Walker led the league in playoff rushing en route to earning MVP honors, while Woolen’s rare 6-foot-4 frame gave the secondary a physical edge that won’t be easily replaced. Seattle moved on from both, watching Woolen sign withthe Philadelphia Eagles. In their place came rookiesouth of Notre Dame, including running back Jadarian Price, selected at number 32. The bet is that young explosiveness can eventually offset the loss of veteran production.
It’s a roster change, but the team insists changing isn’t the same thing as collapsing. And perhaps the strongest reason for that belief lines up behind center. Sam Darnold returns forhis second season withthe Seahawks. Behind him is the same head coach, the same locker room, the same offensive system,and the same city.
After four years across four different franchises, Darnold finally has stability. Last season, he threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns, guiding Seattle to the top of the NFC. Now he’s 29, married,and playing with familiar faces. JSN proved himself a true number-one receiver, and additions like Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed give Darnold arguably more weapons, not fewer.
The argument that last year was a fluke gets harder to defend when the system around him hasn’t changed. The people making that case point to Seattle’s offensive line, which was ranked near the bottom of the league last season. They needed rookie Gray Zabel to help stabilize protection. That unit remains the team’s biggest question mark heading into 2026.
In a division as unforgiving as the NFC West, where Seattle already had to beat both the Rams and the 49ers multiple times just to survive, a weak line could be fatal. If Darnold gets pressured, the entire championship formula gets tested. But even that concern doesn’t fully explain why outsiders are so convinced Seattle cannot repeat. Consider the comparison drawn by skeptics: the Baltimore Ravens,winners of just eight games last year witha rookie head coach and an injured-looking Lamar Jackson, had besser Super Bowl odds than the defending champions.
That math confuses even Seattle’s supporters. The Seahawks went 14 and 3 last season. They conquered the NFC. They have arguably the best general manager, one of the league’s most respected defensive minds in Mike Macdonald,and a core of young players entering their prime.
Devon Witherspoon, JSN, Bryan Murphy, Nik Emmanwori,and Gray Zabel are all ontherise. Their older veterans, like Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence,and Charles Cross, have stayed remarkably healthy. Darnold himself has avoided major injuries throughout his career. Over the past two seasons, Seattle has gone 15-and–2 on the road and boasts the best home record in football.
Yet, in their own division, conversations start withthe Rams,. They mention Staffford and McVay,,the 49ers and Shanahan. Seattle often feels like an afterthought. The skepticism may come down to money.
Last year, Darnold carried a roughly $13 million cap hit. This year, that number jumps to around $38 million. Winning in the NFL comes witha brutal financial consequence: once the quarterback gets paid, keeping the rest of the roster together becomes harder. Critics believe Seattle’s championship window was opened largely because Darnold was a bargain.
Now the price has gone up, and they doubt the team can sustain its depth. But Seattle counters that this was always the plan. They paid Darnold because they believe last season was merely the beginning, not the peak. The question now is whether that belief is justified.
Losing Walker and Woolen hurts. Realistically, them offense changed pieces, and protection concerns remain. Repeating won’t be easy. Yet dismissing them entirely ignores the foundation that remains.
When pressed on whether Seattle can truly win it all again, the answer from those closest to the team is blunt:. “I got a Super Bowl, too. I got the first one. We ain’t been beat yet.
” For now, that’s the stance. The rest of the league will deliver its verdict when the season begins.
