Seattle Seahawks land in 'on the right track' tier in ESPN rankings

There are better teams around the NFL, but at least Seattle is moving in the right direction.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks looks on after beating the Miami Dolphins 24-3 at Lumen Field on September 22, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. | (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Pete Carroll deserves an immense amount of credit for keeping the Seattle Seahawks competitive for as long as he did. No other head coach in franchise history comes close to matching his accomplishments or his long track record of success. That said, it had become clear that Carroll had taken the Seahawks as far as they were going to go - and another Super Bowl appearance 10 years after their last was not in the cards.

Team owner Jody Allen could have chosen to stick with Carroll and be satisfied with more nine-win seasons. Instead, she ripped the bandaid off and dismissed Carroll, replacing him with Mike Macdonald, who was at the time the youngest head coach in the NFL.

Fast forward one year and it looks like the Seahawks made the right call in this department. For the first time in nearly a decade Seattle is on track to field an elite defense, and if they could only figure out how to fix their one deal-breaking weakness they could be in for a deep playoff run.

Heading into the offseason, ESPN has the Seahawks ranked in their "on the right track" tier.

ESPN on 2025 Seattle Seahawks

"With five veterans carrying cap hits in excess of $20 million, Seattle likely needs to restructure contracts or release veterans to get cap compliant. One of those players is quarterback Geno Smith ($44.5 million cap), whose $10 million roster bonus is due March 16. Signs point to Seattle running it back with Smith."

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 20: Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. | (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Assuming that the Seahawks can work out a new deal with Smith, they should continue to have a floor of eight wins, and might very well be ready to break through with a great regular season - barring a slew of injuries. One proejction has Seattle going 12-5 and winning multiple playoff games next season.

That sounds about right, but only if the front office can manage two key elements the right way this offseason.

To pull it off, first the Seahawks will need to keep their defense going in the right direction - which means re-signing middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV no matter the cost. On the other side of the ball the team has to radically upgrade their offensive line - where even an average level of play might be enough to get them back to the NFC Championship.

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