Seahawks No Longer Super Bowl Favorites After Free Agency Begins

The Seattle Seahawks had a tough time to start the legal tampering in the NFL, but some experts think a few players leaving will be the nail in the coffin on their Super Bowl chances.

Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) looks on during warmups before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks will not repeat as Super Bowl champions, if you listen to talk from some experts just after only one day of the NFL’s legal tampering. The Seahawks lose two key players and a role player and all of a sudden, the sky is falling in Seattle. 

The Seahawks knew they would have a tough time having to keep some of their starters who left for more of a financial benefits. While it won’t be official until the new league year starts, the Seahawks are set to lose running back/Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, safety Coby Bryant, and edge rusher Boye Mafe. It is expected that when a team wins the Super Bowl, desperate teams reach out to Super Bowl-winning players for more money

Are the Seahawks Out of Super Bowl Contention?

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While recapping some of the top events of day one of legal tampering day, former NFL safety and analyst Logan Ryan criticized the Seahawks for their moves.

"Good luck trying to repeat, this is the hard part of repeating, everyone wants your roster and your talent. Your going back without your offensive playcaller, who was a huge part when we have to think of Sam Darnold's success, without the Super Bowl MVP running back, your talking about half your  d-line rotation is being poached, half your secondary Tariq Woolen is gone, and those guys have great paydays, why not take that?"

Ryan went on to criticize the actions of the front office, led by executive of the year and general manager John Schneider.

"But sometimes the front office feels like they're the reasons, 'we don't have to pay them, I can just draft the next ones.'"

What to Take Away from Day One of Legal Tampering

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) pursues New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Let’s take a step into reality for a minute. The losses of Walker and Bryant are significant, and it might be worse that the Seahawks tried to get Bryant to re-sign before he chose the Chicago Bears. At the same time, Ty Okada has proven to be a reliable starter if called upon. Also, Ryan mentions half the secondary is gone, but only Bryant is currently set to leave with cornerback Josh Jobe, who agreed to a new deal with Seattle. Meanwhile, cornerback Riq Woolen, who Ryan said was gone, hasn’t agreed to a deal with any team.

Ryan completely overexaggerates the loss of Mafe, whose role declined due to the rise of Derick Hall and the last offseason addition of DeMarcus Lawrence. The Seahawks still have Hall, Lawrence, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, and edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu. The Seahawks lost only one player, and the team didn’t want a pass rusher who only accounted for two sacks last season.  

He also mentions the loss of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The loss of Kubiak is significant, but Darnold has been successful with the Minnesota Vikings before arriving in Seattle. Darnold learned to be a franchise quarterback and a winner from an entire journey and group of teachers, not just from Kubiak, who has been one-and-done with six teams since 2021.

This is not the first time Ryan has discredited the Seahawks and the front office. He was committed to the idea that the New England Patriots would defeat the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX since the conference championship games. Ryan isn’t the only former Patriot to go for the former team to pick, but it’s becoming a trend where he is just making critiques out of spite. Even his colleagues and fellow analysts are acknowledging the bad take.

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