April 23rd, 2026 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- Roger Goodell walks up to the podium for the NFL Draft: “The Carolina Panthers have traded the 6th pick to the Seattle Seahawks. With the 6th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select… John Mateer, quarterback, Oklahoma”
Well we had a feeling didn’t we? We chose to believe in the Seattle Seahawks after their demolition of the Kansas City Chiefs in a stupid preseason game. We believed in Mike Macdonald and his defense, but that game, and the new
vision of this team, we thought it could lead to a division title. Boy, were we wrong.
That special August night proved to be a fugazi, as the offensive line once again struggled to stay healthy and provide the consistency new OC Klint Kubiak needed to be successful. While quarterback Sam Darnold had some moments, he never quite came close to the type of production we saw from him in Minnesota. Jalen Milroe looked closer to a Malik Willis than a Lamar Jackson. Jaxon Smith-Njigba learned that life is much harder in the NFL as a number one receiving option, and the loss of DK Metcalf and Geno Smith proved to be a shadow that hung over the franchise all season long, with both the Raiders and Steelers making the playoffs.
Despite the defense being a top 10 unit in 2025, they continued to not look competitive against the elite teams. The 49ers came into Seattle once again and made it clear who the best in the NFC West still was when they were healthy. Scoring only 6 points while Metcalf caught two touchdowns against the Steelers made for as brutal of an 0-2 start that we’ve seen in a while.
Every time the Seahawks would start to build some momentum, they’d run into an elite offense, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, or Washington Commanders and would be reminded that this offense is not in the same zip code, and the defense was still lacking a true premier pass rusher to make the best sweat.
By season’s end, the Seahawks would finish 7-10 and in last place in a brutal NFC West. While the 49ers and Rams each made playoff runs, the Seahawks fell deeper into the purgatory of mid. Though it is clear that Mike Macdonald has proven to be the elite defensive mind Seattle was hoping to see when they made him head coach, questions begin to creep in if he’s really the right man for the job, or whether his vision will be fully realized without finding a true franchise quarterback.
While John Schneider was given the all important contract extension, he feels the heat even more after we see another disastrous free agent class that saw Darnold, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Cooper Kupp all look closer to backups at this stage of their careers than legitimate contributors.
As the John and Mike head into year three of their regime with still no playoffs or franchise quarterback to show for, they get desperate and decide to trade up in the draft to select a quarterback. This will be Schneider’s first time ever selecting a quarterback in the first round of the draft, and it essentially starts the timer on his and Macdonald’s timeline of making it work in Seattle, or being shown the door.
There’s reason for hope, with a good defense, a good coach, and an exciting young potential franchise QB. There’s also unrest after another season with expectations came up short again in 2025.
(Don’t despair! The next article will be about what happens if it all goes right for the Seahawks)
