3 Reasons for Seahawks Fans to Be Excited, and 2 Reasons to Worry

Seattle Seahawks enjoyed a full season of dominance in 2025. The Seahawks shocked the football world with a record of 14-3 and went on to win Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots.

That was the second time the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, doing so following the 2013 campaign. They fell just short of repeating the following year, which is something they hope to do this time around, although Leonard Williams knows they have to start from the ground up to accomplish that feat.

Williams and the rest of the players and coaches have all been saying the right thing, but with the regular season beginning, it will be time to do all the right things. As fans prepare for Seattle to face the Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch, here are some reasons for them to be excited as well as a couple of reasons for concern.

Reason for excitement: Sam Darnold's comfort with pass-catchers

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass during warmup period against the Tennessee Titans. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There was no shortage of critics when Seattle signed Sam Darnold after moving on from Geno Smith. Despite Darnold's success in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, and Smith's decline in performance, Darnold was called a downgrade.

He proved those concerns to be unfounded as Darnold helped guide his team to a title. Now, he enters his second year with the franchise and has more confidence than ever. Even more important is the faith he has in his pass catchers now that he has a full year with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp as well as a full offseason with Rashid Shaheed.

Reason for concern: New offensive coordinator

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Darnold's comfort with his receivers will be important, the offense is undergoing one huge change. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was hired as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders and Brian Fleury was hired to fill that void. Fleury was the run game coordinator and tight ends coach for the San Francisco 49ers and comes from the same coaching tree as Kubiak, which should help, but there could still be a learning curve early in the year.

Reason for excitement: Jadarian Price's ceiling

Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price during warmups before the game against the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Losing Kenneth Walker III was tough, but rookie Jadarian Price has more than enough talent to take over. Price was the RB2 at Notre Dame behind Jeremiyah Love, so there's still a lot to prove, but his ceiling is higher than what Walker gave them. That doesn't mean he will be better instantly, but his big-play ability and skill as a receiver offer immense excitement.

Reason for concern: Cornerback depth

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Devon Witherspoon is a stud and just secured a well-deserved contract extension. He's joined by several other talented defenders, including cornerback Josh Jobe as well as safeties Julian Love, Nick Emmanwori, and Ty Okada.

The problem is that behind Witherspoon and Jobe, Seattle doesn't have great depth. That's why they signed Trevon Diggs, who is coming off two rough seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and a short stint with the Green Bay Packers. Seattle also rolled the dice on Terrion Arnold, proving they know how much of a need depth is at the position.

Reason for excitement: Defensive line continuity

Seattle Seahawks DE DeMarcus Lawrence runs toward the end zone after recovering a fumble against the Carolina Panthers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As concerning as the cornerback corps is, the Seahawks are just as confident in their depth along the defensive line. Leonard Williams is the leader of that unit, but Byron Murphy is quickly becoming a star. Jarran Reed is there as well, even though he seems to be overlooked far too often.

Seattle is tough on the edge as well with DeMarcus Lawrence entering his final season. There's plenty of excitement for other depth pieces, especially second-year defensive tackle Rylie Mills, making the defensive front one of the primary reasons for excitement in 2026.

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