Seahawks Get Roasted as NFL's Least Improved Team After Super Bowl Hangover
So the Seahawks just won Super Bowl LX, right? That's incredible. That's the dream. But here's the brutal reality: winning a championship means every other team in the league is hunting your guys. And that's exactly what happened this offseason. Boye Mafe, Kenneth Walker III, Coby Bryant, and Riq Woolen all walked out the door to get paid elsewhere. That's a lot of talent to lose, and ESPN analysts noticed.
Two of them, in fact, named the Seahawks the least improved team in the entire NFL following free agency. Yeah, ouch.
They Kept the Core, Lost the Depth
Seattle did hold onto a couple of pieces. They retained cornerback Josh Jobe and wideout/kick returner Rashid Shaheed, which matters. But here's the thing: more talent left than arrived. Way more.
Jeremy Fowler from ESPN broke it down bluntly. The Seahawks had six key free agents and lost four of them. Fowler says the front office was "calculated" about it, choosing not to overpay and keep the Super Bowl roster together. Instead, they're banking on the draft and those compensatory picks to fill the holes. That's a gamble, especially since Seattle's got to budget for Jaxon Smith-Njigba's megadeal coming up.
Still, Fowler acknowledged that adding one more key player for coach Mike Macdonald, particularly a third safety, would help the secondary. He did point out that general manager John Schneider has been excellent in the draft, so there's reason for hope.
The Losses Add Up Fast
Pamela Maldonado was the other analyst who flagged the Seahawks as least improved. Her take? Walker's explosiveness is gone. Mafe's missing from the pass-rush rotation. The secondary took hits with Woolen and Bryant leaving. Individually, none of those moves breaks the team. But collectively? They thin out the depth.
Maldonado said Seattle kept the core intact, but called this "roster maintenance" rather than improvement. She wants to see them sign another edge rusher to replace what they lost and keep the defensive front rotating fresh.
Time to Prove It Again
Here's the reality: Seattle shocked the league in 2025, won a title nobody saw coming, and now has to prove they can still contend with all these departures. The rebuild starts now, and it starts in the draft.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.