20 Bold Predictions For Seahawks’ 2025 Season
Coming off a 10-win season that unfortunately did not conclude with a playoff berth, the Seattle Seahawks will begin their pursuit of snapping a two-year postseason drought when they battle the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field to kick off the 2025 campaign.
How will the upcoming season play out for the Seahawks in year two under coach Mike Macdonald? With a focus on offense, defense, and special teams alike, here are 20 bold predictions heading towards Week 1:
1. Sam Darnold will set career-highs in both completion percentage and interception rate.
Playing in an offense that will prioritize running the football and not having Justin Jefferson to throw to, it wouldn’t be fair to expect Darnold to match his 35 touchdown, 4,300-yard production from last season in Minnesota. However, if Seattle’s run game performs as expected, the veteran quarterback will have more opportunities to throw into open windows off play action and bootleg concepts, playing into his strengths. If the past month has been any indication, he will be getting the football out of his hands quickly, which in turn should cut down on turnovers and lead to a high level of easy completions.
2. Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet will each eclipse 650 rushing yards.
In and out of practice for maintenance of a foot issue all of training camp, Seattle likely will be cautious in regard to overworking Walker, especially early in the season. Charbonnet has already proven himself more than capable of being a bell cow back when called upon and at least in the first quarter of the year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Seahawks use a by-committee approach with both players getting similar carry shares out of the backfield. Look for their contrasting styles to be maximized in Kubiak’s scheme with an improved offensive line in front of them, setting the stage for them to be one of the best duos in the NFL this season.
3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba will finish in the top 10 among receivers in receptions and touchdowns.
This may seem like a stretch given Seattle’s pivot back towards a more run-centric offense, but Smith-Njigba already produced a 100-catch season with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett still on the roster in 2024. Now as the clear cut No. 1 target with Metcalf and Lockett out of town and already building strong chemistry with Darnold, the road has been paved for him to emerge as one of the league’s premier receivers in an offense that caters well to his strengths as a smooth route runner and YAC maestro.
4. Tory Horton, not Cooper Kupp, will finish second among Seattle receivers in touchdowns.
One of the pleasant surprises for the Seahawks in training camp, Horton bounced back nicely from a significant knee injury that cost him part of his senior season at Colorado State, making veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling expendable. Offering good size and a big catch radius, he flashed frequently in the red zone during August practices and also found the end zone in the preseason opener, signs that he will be a problem for opposing defenses in similar situations in the regular season.
5. AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo will each rank in the top five on the team in receptions.
Historically, Kubiak has employed extensive two and three-tight end personnel groupings, naturally creating more opportunities for the group to contribute in the passing game. Barner exceeded expectations in that regard with four touchdown receptions as a rookie and his ability to produce as a chain moving security blanket will be valued greatly by Darnold, while Arroyo’s receiver-like athleticism and proficiency as a field stretcher with soft hands give the Seahawks a fun one-two punch at the position that should be targeted often.
6. Charles Cross will become the first All-Pro tackle in Seattle since Duane Brown.
In his first three seasons, Cross has flashed the potential to be a top-10 or even top-five tackle, but consistency has evaded him due to several factors, including lack of talent around him on the offensive line and questionable coaching. But both of those areas have been addressed with new line coach John Benton and talented first round pick Grey Zabel on board, and in an offense designed for athletic blockers such as the former top-10 pick, the environment has been put in place for him to thrive and finally achieve his full potential as a franchise blindside protector.
7. Cross and Abraham Lucas will each be top-15 graded run blockers by Pro Football Focus.
Cross won’t be the only tackle benefiting from the scheme change, as a fully healthy Lucas impressed throughout training camp and the preseason, proving the knee issues that dogged him the past two years were officially behind him. Another big-bodied blocker with the quickness and elite lateral agility required to excel in Kubiak’s offense, he has millions on the line entering the final year of his rookie contract and looks poised for a strong bounce back anchoring a much improved rushing attack.
8. Following Steve Hutchinson’s footsteps, Grey Zabel earns All-Rookie honors.
Whether fair or not, being the highest drafted guard by the Seahawks since Hutchinson way back in 2001, Zabel came to the Pacific Northwest carrying lofty expectations, but he has done nothing but live up to the hype so far. A dancing bear with rare athletic traits at over 300 pounds and underrated power and toughness, he put opposing defenders on skis several times during the preseason to help spring multiple big runs, and while there will be growing pains against regular season competition, he should put himself on the map as one of the top young guards in the league in no time.
9. None of Seattle’s edge defenders will record more than 7.5 sacks.
Some will read this prediction and see it as a bad thing, but historically, Macdonald’s defenses in Baltimore sent wave after wave of fresh pass rushers at opposing quarterbacks and the Seahawks have the talent and depth to be able to do that in 2025. Assuming Uchenna Nwosu stays healthy once he returns to action, pairing him with Demarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall gives Seattle a four-headed monster with the potential to make life very difficult on signal callers. If there’s a downside to having four starter-caliber talents off the edge, however, snap percentages may stay low enough for all of them to prevent one from getting near the 10-sack mark.
10. Leonard Williams hits double digit sacks in back-to-back seasons for the first time.
Since coming into the NFL as a top-10 pick, Williams’ pass rushing production has been somewhat erratic year-to-year. In fact, he only has had five or more sacks in two consecutive seasons once previously in his career, doing so for the Giants in 2020 and 2021. Based on past precedent, it would seem more likely that “Big Cat” struggles to come close to his 11-sack total from a year ago. But the Seahawks have an abundance of talent around him on the defensive line and Macdonald’s scheme makes the most of his positional flexibility, creating the prime one-on-one rushing opportunities needed for him to have a real shot at replicating his 2024 numbers.
11. Byron Murphy will increase his sack and quarterback hit totals by more than 700 percent.
700 percent? 700 percent?! Yes, that almost sounds like a fictious number, but much to the disappointment of fans, while Murphy’s rookie campaign undoubtedly was better than his raw stats suggested, he finished with just a partial sack and a quarterback hit in 14 games. That’s far from what was expected from a top-20 draft pick. But per Pro Football Focus, he ranked in the top 10 among defensive tackles in Pass Rush Win Rate on true passing downs, and by simply having more chances to rush the passer as a 3-tech defensive tackle, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to get to four sacks and eight quarterback hits as a sophomore.
12. Jared Ivey will produce more tackles and pressures than Mike Morris.
One of three undrafted rookies to make the Seahawks roster this summer, Ivey carved out a rotational role in the trenches by shining at multiple positions, including as a two-point outside linebacker and reduced inside to 3-tech alignment. In many ways, he flashed the type of versatility that the team has been hoping for from Morris for the past couple of seasons, and as a result, he may have already passed his counterpart on the depth chart to get more snaps on Sundays. The ex-All-SEC performer has a boulder on his shoulder after not hearing his name called in April and he will be out to prove every team made a mistake passing on him.
13. Both Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight will surpass 115 combined tackles apiece.
For different reasons, Jones and Knight missed extended stretches of training camp, but both starters should be ready to go for Week 1 and ready to build off of their stellar play together in the second half a year ago. Despite starting only nine games as a rookie, Knight wasn’t far off from the 100-tackle mark with a 52 percent snap share, so if that percentage jumps north of 70 percent, getting to 115 tackles shouldn’t be difficult at all. Back healthy after offseason knee surgery, Jones has produced at least 114 tackles each of the past three seasons as well, making this more than attainable for both as long as they stay healthy.
14. Nick Emmanwori will post 65 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions as a rookie.
In terms of boldness, this may be the biggest eye opener, at least considering historical context. Per Pro Football Reference, only 12 defensive backs have achieved the statistical trifecta of 65 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions as rookies, with Jevon Holland being the most recent in 2021. But Emmanwori will play a ton of snaps early, especially if Knight isn’t ready for a full workload out of the gate, as he will play the pseudo-linebacker role near the line of scrimmage along with extensive action covering and blitzing from the slot. Playing near the line of scrimmage frequently will allow him to be active against the run and set up more pass rushing opportunities, making this impressive stat line feel realistic to attain.
15. The ball will find Devon Witherspoon more as he leads Seattle with five interceptions.
As impressive as ‘Spoon has been in his first two NFL seasons, if there’s been an area for critics to nitpick, he has one combined interception in 32 career games so far. Of course, much of that has had to do with opportunities, as quarterbacks have often stayed away from him and opted to throw the ball elsewhere, and he has generated 16 pass breakups on 156 targets during that span. The presence of Emmanwori will allow Macdonald to play Witherspoon more on the boundary in 2025, and with a motivated Riq Woolen on the opposite side, quarterbacks will have to pick their poison, leading to more pick chances for him to capitalize on.
16. Eclipsing 2024, the Seahawks will score six touchdowns on defense, including four pick sixes.
Historically, the odds of the Seahawks surpassing last year’s four defensive scores seems slim to none. Before having two pick sixes and two fumbles returned for scores in 2024, the franchise had only one season with multiple defensive touchdowns from 2020 to 2023, and scoring on that side of the ball always will be challenging. With that said, Seattle returns 13 out of 14 players who received the most defensive snaps last year and added both Lawrence and Emmanwori, so the talent is in place along with a schematic guru in Macdonald who will be ready to turn up the heat on opponents as a means for creating more chances to force turnovers in general.
17. Jason Myers will continue odd trend converting less than 85 percent of field goal attempts.
Yes, this isn’t necessarily a positive prediction on the surface, as the Seahawks hope to see Myers split the uprights north of 90 percent of the time as he did in 2022. But he has only made more than 80 percent of his kicks on an odd year once since 2017, connecting 83 percent of the time in 2023, while sinking below 74 percent in 2021. Unfortunately, 2025 is indeed an odd year, and the kicker wasn’t quite as sharp as expected in training camp, so expect accuracy to be a bit more of a struggle this year if history keeps repeating itself. On the plus side, if he does approach 85 percent, well, that will be an upgrade over past odd years.
18. Seattle will give up more kickoff/punt returns for touchdowns than they produce on special teams.
Another not-so-positive prediction, but a realistic one. The Seahawks had their share of special teams issues last season under first-year coordinator Jay Harbaugh and unfortunately, those problems carried over to the preseason with the kick and punt coverage units allowing several big returns, including a punt return for six to the Chiefs. Horton, Dareke Young, and George Holani all have enough juice to be weapons in the kick return game, but none of them are proven in that role at the NFL level. Keeping all these facts in mind, it wouldn’t be shocking at all if Seattle gives up a couple scores and isn’t able to match with their own return teams over the course of the season.
19. Brady Russell will lead the team in special teams tackles, garner Pro Bowl honors for first time.
One of the lynchpins of Harbaugh’s special teams unit, including being an emergency long snapper, Russell managed to rack up 10 combined tackles on kick and punt coverage despite missing several games with a foot injury last season. Along with occasionally pitching in as a hybrid tight end/fullback in Kubiak’s offense, he will be counted on to make impact plays as a tackler in coverage again, and as long as he avoids another injury, he should have a chance to get to 14 or 15 tackles minimum on special teams, which would put him squarely in the mix for Pro Bowl consideration.
20. The Seahawks will win 12 games and win the NFC West for the first time since 2020.
As is the case with every other franchise in the division, analysts can poke holes in the Seahawks heading into a new season, as they are far from a perfect football team. Will their offensive line actually be serviceable? Can Darnold come anywhere close to playing at the level he did with the Vikings minus the same supporting cast and coach Kevin O’Connell calling plays? Does the defense have what it takes to handle lofty expectations?
Those are all reasonable questions, and yet, Seattle has a great deal going for it, starting with the vast majority of the defense from a year ago returning and Macdonald coaching up that unit. Led by Williams, Jones, and Witherspoon, this is a championship-caliber defense, and the offense does not have to be elite for this team to be dangerous come January. A moderately improved offensive line spearheading a more potent ground game will be the biggest needle mover, which would take a lot off Darnold’s shoulders. With their being legitimate optimism on that front, eclipsing last year’s 10-win total should be a reasonable expectation, and hitting 11 or 12 wins would dramatically improve odds of capturing the division crown.
