The Seattle Seahawks' first season under head coach Mike Macdonald had ups and downs and was, in the end, maddeningly frustrating. The Seahawks became the first team since the NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams to win ten and still miss out on the postseason. Their point differential was plus-seven, the virtual definition of an average team.
They finished the year 18th in total offense and 14th in total defense. If my math is right, that averages out to 16th in a 32-team league. As average as you can get. Yards per rushing attempt – 17th. Yards per passing attempt – 15th. Once again, annoyingly middle-of-the-pack.
On defense, the Hawks were slightly above average, but – and this is important – they didn’t do any one thing especially well. They were not dominant in any phase of the game, and, despite what some glass-half-empty fans might think, they weren’t truly awful at anything either. This is a team in transition, with a young coaching staff, and very much in search of an identity. What are there Seattle Seahawks under Mike Macdonald going to be?
Bold predictions for the Seattle Seahawks' 2025 offseason
Firing Ryan Grubb was a clue. Macdonald does not seem to be happy with the offense’s failure to establish a reliable running game. Grubb’s departure also suggests that Macdonald is not likely to hesitate if he thinks he may have made a mistake. He will take action. John Schneider indicated the exact same thing when he jettisoned two prime 2024 free agent acquisitions in the middle of the season. That willingness to move on from mistakes is generally a good quality.
And with that in mind, we dive off the deep end with four bold predictions for the coming offseason. I should probably stress that I have no inside info on any of this. These aren’t “whisperings” I am picking up through a vast network of contacts. They are hunches based on what we have all witnessed.
We’ll begin with the relatively modest and work our way up to the blockbusters.
The Seahawks will trade for a tight end
They may not have to trade. They may be able to sign one in free agency, but if their targets are not available, then I expect a trade. I think Macdonald is content moving forward with A.J. Barner, but I’m not as convinced he wants to rely on Noah Fant. Fant has long been a talented underachiever.
For a receiving tight end option with big play ability, he simply hasn’t made enough big plays. It may be unfair to judge him too harshly in 2024 because he was hurt for a good part of it, but that’s what Macdonald saw. That’s the reality of life in the NFL. You have to be a lot more productive than Noah Fant to get the benefit of the doubt due to injury.
Pharoah Brown is a 30-year-old pending free agent. Brady Russell is totally unproven. There may not be any top-tier options currently on the market, but if Macdonald wants a change, he could look to see whether Austin Hooper re-ups with the Patriots. Hooper is the same age as Brown but has been a much more reliable receiving option throughout his career.
He could be a nice complement as Barner continues to develop. If Hooper signs elsewhere, Schneider could explore low-risk trades for veterans like Tanner Hudson – should he want a decent pass-catcher – or Mo-Alie Cox – if he wants a more complete two-way player.
Mike Macdonald gets his safety in the first round of the draft
I suspect John Schneider may look to trade back from the 18th pick in the first round of the draft. A lot of his decisions may depend on where South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori rises or falls as we get into late March. Emmanwori has “game-changer” written all over him. He is a classic modern big safety, which means size-wise he is practically a linebacker. Emmanwori is 6’3" and 220 pounds. Speed-wise, he is a cornerback. He has been timed at 4.38 in the 40.
More than that, Emmanwori makes plays. He is a devastating hitter who also tracks the ball very well. Emmanwori is likely to skyrocket up boards should he perform at the scouting combine, but still, there are franchises who do not think spending a high first-round pick on a safety is a smart move.
That may be especially true this season because there are a lot of quality safeties coming out. That should play right into the hands of Macdonald, who desperately wants to find his own version of Kyle Hamilton for the Hawks.
Hamilton’s skill and versatility were crucial to the defenses Macdonald ran in Baltimore. Julian Love is a very good player but adding a stud like Emmanwori allows Love and Devon Witherspoon a lot more freedom to do what they do best. Seattle has more pressing needs than safety, but they will not find a better player for this coach than Emmanwori.
New special teams coach – Darren Rizzi
I understood the logic behind bringing in Ryan Grubb. I never got why Jay Harbaugh was hired. Obviously, the man has football in his genes and may one day become a fine coach, like his father and uncle before him. But at the NFL level, Harbaugh had never been so much as a position coach.
He had coordinated special teams at the major college level but had very limited time working with NFL players during a regular pro season. That kind of setup has obviously worked at times, but usually in situations where the new guy was being added into a veteran lineup of coaches.
That is not what Macdonald did. He surrounded himself with a group of top lieutenants who had very little upper-level NFL experience. And it showed. The Seahawks didn’t produce consistent efforts week in and week out. The chemistry on a coaching staff is almost impossible to judge from the outside, but it stands to reason that a young, inexperienced head coach like Macdonald might have benefited from having a greybeard or two in the room with him.
He has the chance to address that with his offensive coordinator hire, but he could also do it on special teams, where Harbaugh’s units were generally uninspired throughout the 2024 season. Darren Rizzi has had great success coaching special teams for many seasons in New Orleans and has recently served as their interim head man. He is likely to be in search of a new job once the Saints pull the trigger on a new hire and he could be a very valuable addition to the Macdonald’s staff.
And the winner of the Smith-Metcalf fight is …
It is entirely possible that Seattle will begin 2025 with both Geno Smith and DK Metcalf in the starting lineup. But there has been a great deal of speculation since mid-season that one of them will be gone next year. The consensus seems to be that it is more likely to be DK Metcalf who moves to another team. I don’t like that idea – it is very hard to find receivers with Metcalf’s skill set – but I understand it. It is even harder to replace a legit NFL starting quarterback.
Right now, I make it a definite possibility, albeit still a longshot, that both QB and WR will be moved this off-season. I think there’s a chance that Mike Macdonald has seen what both can do up close and will decide that in order to build a champion, neither player is a long-term solution.
To be clear, there are no receivers not named Tee Higgins who currently project to be available who could step right into Metcalf’s shoes. Schneider should absolutely be kicking the tires on a Higgins deal to see if it is possible. He would form an excellent tandem with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, similar to what the Eagles have with AJ. Brown and Davonte Smith.
As for the QB, it is likely that the Seahawks quarterback in 2030 is not in the league right now. Finding a good bridge – a QB who can keep the team at a playoff level while building its roster – will be job one for John Schneider. That could be Geno Smith. But it could also be one of the quarterbacks we previously discussed like Justin Fields or Marcus Mariota.
The specific QB may depend on the new OC, but there are veterans out there who could keep the train running while Seattle waits to find someone in the draft. You do not need a pick in the top five to get a franchise QB. The QBs of the teams with the best chances to win the Super Bowl this year came with the first, seventh, 10th, 32nd, and 53rd pick in the draft.
Macdonald may decide that a more complete shakeup of his offense is necessary to get Seattle where it wants to be. Both Smith and Metcalf could be in new uniforms next season.