Seahawks’ Bold Offseason Moves Have Them Looking Like Super Bowl Contenders

Seahawks are contenders, and it started with confidence

In a luxury box high atop Northwest Stadium, John Schneider must have been beaming.

Schneider, the longtime general manager of the Seahawks, watched his team demolish the host Commanders, 38–14, on Sunday Night Football. Seattle improved its record to 6–2, not only earning a share of first place in the NFC West alongside the Rams, but also tying the Eagles and Buccaneers for the conference’s best record.

This offseason, Seattle’s ascension seemed unlikely. Schneider had made a series of bold moves, which many deemed the start of a rebuild. Instead, a flurry of activity over four days led to a rebirth.

On March 7, the Seahawks agreed to trade Geno Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick. Two days later, Schneider once again dealt away an offensive star, this time sending receiver DK Metcalf and a sixth-round choice to the Steelers for a second-rounder.

On March 10, the Seahawks agreed to a three-year, $100 million deal with Sam Darnold, replacing Smith with someone seven years his junior and coming off a season in which he threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns with the 14-win Vikings.

It was a massive gamble for a team coming off a 10-win season under first-year coach Mike Macdonald. Seattle had missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker, and had ample reason to run back an offense centered around Smith, who had thrown for 4,320 yards while completing 70.4% of his attempts.

Fast forward to the present, and Darnold is playing like an MVP candidate. He was sublime against the Commanders, throwing for 330 yards and four touchdowns on 13.1 yards per attempt, while going a staggering 16-of-16 for 282 yards and four scores in the first half alone.

For the year, Darnold has 2,084 yards and 16 passing touchdowns against five interceptions, the former figure ranking him fifth in the NFL. He’s also averaging 9.6 yards per attempt, topping the league among qualifying quarterbacks.

Darnold’s primary target, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, has become the league’s top receiver statistically without Metcalf and had another massive evening against the Commanders. The third-year man from Ohio State caught eight passes on nine targets for 129 yards and a touchdown, giving him a league-best 948 yards on the year.

Last season, Smith-Njigba was targeted 137 times, which ranked 14th in the league. This year, he already has 79 through eight games, putting him on pace for 167, a figure that would have ranked third in 2024 behind only Ja’Marr Chase and Malik Nabers.

With Metcalf in Pittsburgh, the Seahawks are leaning more into Smith-Njigba while also relying on the tandem of runners Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Last season, the duo combined for 288 carries (Walker played 12 games; Charbonnet played all 17). This season, they’re already at 186, putting them on pace for 395 if both remain healthy.

As for the guys Seattle moved on from? The Seahawks certainly look to have made the right move with Smith, who has thrown 11 interceptions in eight games on a 2–6 Raiders team. Metcalf has played well for the Steelers with 29 catches for 467 yards, but he’s also down from last year after posting 66 receptions for 992 yards in 15 games.

All told, Schneider’s bold moves add up to a Seattle team that not only has legitimate aspirations of a playoff run, but perhaps making the NFC go through the Pacific Northwest come January.

On Sunday night, the Seahawks thrashed the Commanders in front of a national audience. Darnold was great. Macdonald’s defense was terrific. Smith-Njigba shined.

The core of Seattle, something which looked so different only a year ago, has the makings of a contender.

On the long westward flight that lies ahead for the Seahawks, plenty of people will be smiling—none with a bigger grin than Schneider.