It's not often that all teams in one division in the NFL are going through a transition period, but here we are.
The NFC West is up for grabs for the first time in a few years, which is a shocking turn of events considering we are less than two years removed from an LA Rams' Super Bowl Championship celebration.
But with a 49ers team dealing with question marks at quarterback, a Cardinals team working through coaching changes, and a Rams team trying to figure out how to get back on track, the Seahawks find themselves in similar company, but perhaps a better situation than the rest.
After a successful 2022 season that defied expectations, it provides the team with a solid foundation to build upon. Knowing what they can get from Geno Smith is invaluable, and the additions made through free agency and the draft will only elevate him and the offense more.
Plus, some key additions to the defense as well; the Seahawks are well on their way to potentially reign supreme in the NFC once again.
With all that said, there are still some dream scenarios that we'd love to see for the team throughout the 2023 season, even if we are incredibly optimistic about how they'll perform.
Geno Smith builds upon his 2022 success
Who could have predicted that Geno Smith would come into his first starting season in Seattle and play the best football of his career while attempting to fill the shoes Russell Wilson left?
Because of the trade with Denver, which included quarterback Drew Lock, there was some belief that the former second-round pick would take over under center, but that lasted only a short time.
Proving all the doubters wrong, Smith quickly assimilated himself into the Seahawks' culture and carved the path that earned him a three-year, $105 million contract at the end of the season.
He took the team to a 9-8 record, clinching the final wild-card spot for the postseason. He finished with a career-high 69.8% completion, throwing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns. And on top of that, he displayed his dual-threat skillset, carrying the football 68 times for 366 yards and another score.
All of this earned him Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his nine-year career, solidifying his role even further as the Seattle quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Now entering his second season as the QB1, Smith has set some high standards to live up to. With an improved offensive line, an added explosive weapon like Jaxon Smith-Njigba to pair up with D.K. Metcalf and an ever-evolving defense, it should (hopefully) make it easy for Smith to continue what he started last season.
D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba become a lethal wide receiver duo
Imagine potentially having one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL. That's where the Seahawks could find themselves this year.
As the projected WR1 of the 2023 draft class, the fact that Jaxon Smith-Njigba fell into Seattle's lap at pick 20 is astounding. It's likely because he's recovering from a hamstring injury that ended his final season with Ohio State short, but he's just one year removed from a record-breaking performance that coach Carroll hopes he can translate to the NFL.
Smith-Njigba's performance through the 2021 season was more impressive than what's seen on paper. Not only did he break Ohio State's single-season record with 95 catches for 1,606 yards, but he also broke the 20-year-held Big Ten receiving yards record.
Combine that with what we know Metcalf can bring to the field, and there's a chance the Seahawks will have one of the most dominant pair of receivers in the league.
Metcalf has been a consistent threat in the NFC since joining the team in 2019. So much so there are some even referring to the former Pro Bowler as Seattle's own Megatron, which is quite the compliment.
After having an outstanding yet shaky 2022 season, some of which Metcalf blamed on his eagerness to be more of a vocal leader on the team, there's no doubt he's primed to continue being the team's leading receiver and can only get better with Smith-Njigba's incorporation.
Make the playoffs for a second season in a row
As a team going through a transition phase and hoping to formulate its new identity, plus an increasingly difficult division with the rise of the 49ers and Rams, the Seahawks haven't had the most success in making post-season over the last few years.
Now with a solid answer at quarterback, a potentially explosive offense with two big-time targets, and a defense that should be far better prepared than what we saw last season, it doesn't seem far-fetched to believe the Seahawks could make the playoffs for the second season in a row; the first time they'll have done that since the 2019-2020 seasons.
Other than their own improvements, the division is up for grabs for the first time in what seems like many years.
Because of their incredible success with Brock Purdy last season, who led the team to the NFC Championship in his rookie season, the 49ers are said to be unsettled with their decision to make Trey Lance their starting quarterback. Because that feeling was made public, trade rumors began circulating, with teams reportedly calling San Francisco about the third-year quarterback.
But it appears (for now) they're sticking with Lance, likely because they traded everything but the kitchen sink to select him in the 2021 draft.
The Rams are also dealing with quarterback issues, as reality seems to have brought them back down to earth with Matthew Stafford's stinker of a 2022 season.
And then, of course, there's the Cardinals, who recently released their star receiver DeAndre Hopkins and will go through much of the upcoming season without quarterback Kyler Murray as he recovers from an ACL injury suffered late last year.
With all of this on the table, the Seahawks may very well be the most prepared team in the division to make a good postseason run. If the improvements made continue to look good throughout the summer, there's no reason to believe that making the playoffs is impossible.
Win the division
Since we've already gone on about the Seahawks being successful enough to make the playoffs again, how about we up the ante and hope they can win the division?
It has been just three years since Seattle won the division, as they did with the Russell Wilson-led offense during their 12-4 season in 2020. But we know how the story goes; the Rams went on to win the Super Bowl the following season, and the 49ers worked their way to the NFC Championship Game last season, leaving the Seahawks as the 7th seed in the postseason.
But as it has been said many times, there is no indication that the NFC West has a clear frontrunner, even though the Seahawks could easily become that team.
Of course, despite the apparent struggles the other teams in the division must overcome, they will still be competitive and not easy to beat. They still have some of the best players in the league on their teams, which won't make Seattle's objective any easier.
However, the Seahawks have all the tools in their arsenal to truly take advantage of the weaknesses their rivals showcase. If they can stay focused, not beat themselves and simply build upon what they accomplished last season, is winning the division out of the question?
Absolutely not.
Ultimate dream: Seattle heads to the Super Bowl
While other dream scenarios seem more achievable, making the Super Bowl may be overly optimistic.
But this is a list of dream scenarios, and who doesn't dream of seeing their team make the Super Bowl (again)?
It obviously would be quite a treacherous path to get there, especially with some heavy hitters developing in the NFC, like the Eagles, Cowboys, and maybe even the 49ers. But is it entirely out of the question for next season?
Maybe.
Perhaps it's called the ultimate dream for that reason. But it doesn't seem like an outlandish goal in the next few years if the team continues to get better and better. The NFL is never the same league as the season before, and those who are favorites during the offseason are not always the best once the season gets going. So it could be a more attainable dream sooner than later.
And you know what they say, anything can happen on any given Sunday!