‘We Ain’t Going Nowhere’: Seahawks Already Planting Seeds in Quest for Super Bowl Repeat
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Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV holds the Vince Lombardi trophy during the Super Bowl LX trophy celebration at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images [/caption]
SEATTLE, Wash. - Less than 72 hours after navy and action green confetti fluttered to the turf at Levis Stadium following a 29-13 demolition of the New England Patriots, while the Seattle Seahawks celebrated their second Super Bowl title with a frenzied fan base both at Lumen Field and during a parade in downtown on Wednesday, they already have their sights set on doing it again next season.
Wearing a t-shirt depicting teammate Sam Darnold smoking a cigar and once again singing effusive, explicit praise about Seattle’s quarterback from the podium with a sparkling Lombardi Trophy in hand, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones made sure to remind fans and the rest of the league that the team “ain’t going nowhere.”
"Not only do we have the best defense in the world, we've got the best team in the world," Jones said, “And quite frankly, if you've got anything to say about my quarterback, if you've got anything to say about my defense, if you've got anything to say about our O-line, if you've got anything to say about the city of Seattle, I've got two words for you: F--- you.”
Climbing to the top of the NFL mountaintop isn’t easy, evidenced by the Seahawks having two Super Bowl titles in 50 seasons as a franchise and several other teams yet to have a single Lombardi Trophy. But repeating as a world champion takes the challenge to a whole other level.
Historically speaking, winning consecutive NFL championships used to be fairly common when the league had fewer teams. The Packers won the first two Super Bowls, the Dolphins repeated in 1973 and 1974, and the “Steel Curtain” Steelers managed to pull off the feat twice in the 1970s to headline an era full of dynasties. From 1989 to 1998, the 49ers, Cowboys, and Broncos all won back-to-back Super Bowls as well, with Dallas hoisting the Lombardy Trophy three times in four years in the mid-90s.
But since 2000, with multiple expansion teams entering the fray and the NFL orchestrating a massive conference realignment, only the Chiefs and Patriots have managed to capture back-to-back Lombardi Trophies. Five other teams during that 26-year period have attempted to repeat and failed, including the Seahawks themselves in 2014, as the infamous Malcolm Butler end zone interception led to a heart-breaking 28-24 loss to the Patriots one year after they blew out the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
In a league that has made parity a calling card, the Seahawks won’t be hovering far under the radar next season as they were heading into the 2025 campaign when they had miniscule 60-1 Super Bowl odds and many national prognosticators predicted them to finish third or even fourth in the NFC West. Instead, as the reigning Super Bowl target coming off a 17-3 season, they will have a massive target on their back with opponents working double time combing through film and seeking ways to close the gap, particularly scheming against coach Mike Macdonald’s defense.
With that said, Macdonald built his program around the theme of “chasing edges” from Day 1 on the job two years ago, with him and general manager John Schneider always aiming to find ways to evolve and stay ahead of the pack. Once the focus shifts away from the celebration, that approach will be at the forefront once again for everything the Seahawks do as an organization.
"It's really gonna be our mentality for us to keep pushing the envelope with our personnel, where we can take things at our speed, you know?” Macdonald told reporters on Monday after winning the Super Bowl one day earlier. “And so, there's gonna be times where we feel like teams get a beat on us, and we're gonna have to move and shake, and that's happened several times throughout this season as well. And that's just how we operate."
Like any reigning champion, Seattle will have tough roster decisions awaiting when free agency starts with the ushering in of the new league year next month, starting with whether or not to re-sign Super Bowl MVP running back Ken Walker III. Coming off an incredible playoff run that undoubtedly bolstered his value at the perfect time, the dynamic runner headlines a free agent class including several talented players from Schneider’s 2022 draft class, the first group that started the foundation for the re-emergence from NFC afterthought back into title contender.
Away from Walker, the Seahawks will have to decide whether or not to re-sign pass rusher Boye Mafe, cornerback Riq Woolen, and safety Coby Bryant, three other staples from that heralded draft class who have been productive starters for multiple seasons. Receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed, who Schneider acquired from the Saints for a fourth and fifth-round pick at the trade deadline, will also be scheduled to hit the market and may be tougher to re-sign with former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak expected to court him as the new head coach of the Raiders.
In addition, Schneider will have a couple of star players due to extensions, starting with All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Both players will be eligible for new contracts next month after three accrued seasons on their respective rookie deals, and while Seattle could pick up the fifth-year option on both players before the May deadline, inking the two cornerstones to long-term deals should be expected to be at the top of the franchise’s to-do list this spring into the summer. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams will be entering the final year of his contract and could be in line for one more big deal as his 32nd birthday approaches.
Stating the obvious, the Seahawks won’t be able to keep everyone, but the quest to keep the roster largely intact should be more than doable because Schneider will have a healthy salary cap situation at his disposal with dead cap hits for former players Geno Smith and DK Metcalf coming off the books. Per OverTheCap.com, the team has $62 million in effective cap space available for 2026, the sixth-highest total in the NFL, providing the financial ammunition to not only re-sign current free agents, but make moves extending other players with one year left under contract such as Smith-Njigba, Witherspoon, and Williams.
That cap flexibility will also open the door for Seattle to potentially be active in free agency, though fans shouldn’t be expecting a splash move like the ones made to sign Darnold and outside linebacker Demarcus Lawrence last March. Seeking quality role players will be more likely, especially ones with ties to current coaches and/or newcomers joining Macdonald’s staff.
For now, as Macdonald said in his day after Super Bowl media availability, he and his players plan to maximize on their time to celebrate a monumental accomplishment, as they should.
"If you don't enjoy it, I mean, what are you doing?” Macdonald questioned. “What are you doing this whole thing for?"
But make no mistake: once the Seahawks have enjoyed the feat and start getting back to work in coming days, they aren’t planning on this being one-and-done. Looking to do throw the same celebration this time a year from now with the die-hard 12s, they’ll be readying to chase some more edges with the new goal shifting to repeating in 2026 and starting to build a modern dynasty.
