Seahawks 2025 Team Awards: Starting LB Wins Tight DPOY Race

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off just their second Super Bowl-winning season in franchise history and first since the 2013-14 campaign.

Heading into the season, the Seahawks' roster was given little credit for its status as a rising contender. They shocked the entire league and will enter 2026 as the likely favorite to repeat as champions.

With the 2025 season far in the rearview mirror, it's time to take a look at some of the key players who contributed to the Super Bowl LX victory, as recognized with team awards. This week, we will hand out eight awards that help summarize the Seahawks' outstanding campaign.

Awards List (in order of release)

Most Improved Player (MIP)
Comeback Player of the Year (CPOY)
Special Teams Player of the Year (STPOY)
Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY)
Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY)
Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)
Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY)
Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Defensive Player of the Year

LB Ernest Jones IV

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) reacts after an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

This was by far the closest race of any Seahawks award. It's not surprising considering the Seahawks had the league's best defense in 2025, but Jones was just a small step above the other top contributors on the team.

Jones was a Second Team All-Pro but somehow didn't make the Pro Bowl, totaling 126 tackles, four tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, seven pass deflections and a team-high five interceptions — one of which he returned for a touchdown. In the playoffs, Jones had another 25 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and another interception.

Statistically, other players on the Seahawks' defense were comparable. But Jones gets the edge because of his leadership and ability to make the players around him better. Jones, although he is a much different player, has a similar effect to that of a prime Bobby Wagner. The unit is immediately better with him on the field.

The Seahawks are fortunate they paid Jones before the 2025 season, as they're getting an exceptional value at $9.5 million per year on his current deal that expires after the 2027 season. It wouldn't be surprising to see them give him another lucrative extension after the 2026 campaign.

Jones, a two-time Super Bowl champion, has been brutally under-recognized in his career thus far. The All-Pro nod was a step in the right direction, however.

Honorable mentions

EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lawrence was the pretty clear-cut No. 2 option here, and there's an easy argument for him to be the DPOY. Even at 33 years old, Lawrence earned his fifth Pro Bowl nod and totaled 53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two fumble recovery touchdowns.

S Coby Bryant

Unfortunately, Bryant left for the Chicago Bears in free agency, but he earned every penny of the three-year, $40 million contract he signed. In 15 starts, Bryant totaled 66 tackles, four tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, one forced fumble and four interceptions. Like Jones and Lawrence, Bryant was a turnover machine for the Seahawks.

DL Leonard Williams

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Williams continued to build on the best two-season stretch of his career, totaling 62 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one pass deflection and 7.0 sacks. It wasn't quite as good as his 2024 campaign when he was almost certainly the Seahawks' DPOY, but he still landed the first Second Team All-Pro nod of his career.

CB Devon Witherspoon

Like many other Seahawks players, Witherspoon earned the first Second Team All-Pro nod of his career in 2025. Witherspoon proved himself once again as the best run-stopping corner in the NFL, finishing with 72 tackles, two tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, seven pass deflections, one fumble recovery and an interception.

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