The offseason might be a win for the Seattle Seahawks, even if the team does not do much in free agency. Other teams in the NFC West could be getting worse. As Seattle finished second in the division this past season, it might not take much for the Seahawks to get back to first place.
Sure, the San Francisco 49ers were extremely injured, and that affected how good the team truly was. We can expect the 49ers to bounce back strongly in 2025. But they might be losing a key piece. (More on that in just a second.)
The biggest move in the division this offseason would be if the Los Angeles Rams traded quarterback Matthew Stafford. LA has given Stafford the green light to see what his value would be in a trade. This, of course, does not mean the Rams will deal the quarterback, but if the return is high enough, maybe they will.
Matthew Stafford running into Tom Brady could be great news for the Seattle Seahawks
The Las Vegas Raiders are clearly interested in acquiring Stafford. In fact, based on whom you believe, Stafford either accidentally ran into Raiders minority owner Tom Brady at a ski resort in Montana recently, or the two planned the meeting. Either way, a talk between the two ensued, and one can assume Brady did his best sales pitch.
We should hope that Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports is correct. He reported that Brady had Stafford over at his home. That would be much better than simply accidentally having the two run into each other at a random Montana ski resort. (But let's be real. Schultz is likely correct because it is Montana we are discussing here.)
Sources: #Raiders minority owner Tom Brady recently hosted #Rams QB Matthew Stafford at his home in Montana, where they spent time together and went skiing. Brady has been actively trying to convince Stafford to join the Raiders, and discussions are ongoing.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 26, 2025
Several teams are… pic.twitter.com/Jo9xxw2M6e
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network had a different take on what happened. He claims the conversation was purely accidental.
#Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and #Rams QB Matthew Stafford ran into each other at a ski resort in Montana, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 26, 2025
The meeting, unplanned, was not extensive or in-depth and did not include Brady “hosting” or “recruiting” Stafford, despite reports saying otherwise. pic.twitter.com/eUucyxzxsW
Tensions are so high about what actually happened that Schultz reportedly verbally attacked Rapoport at a Starbucks in Indianapolis while both reports were in Indy for the NFL Combine. (They were watching, of course, and not participating.)
The bottom line is that the Rams very well could ship Stafford to the Raiders (or somewhere else) if Las Vegas, for instance, offers their first-round choice (number seven overall) to the Rams. The Raiders might be that desperate. If that happens, the Rams would still probably find a way to be good (Sean McVay is not going to have a terrible team), but maybe weakened enough to open the door for the Seahawks to take the division next season.
The other potentially good news is that the 49ers are willing to deal wide receiver/running back/utility man Deebo Samuel. At the NFL Combine, San Francisco general manager John Lynch admitted the team was willing to honor Samuel's trade request.
Samuel is a good player and a great fit in the 49ers' offense. San Francisco still has the pieces to be good, though losing Samuel would hurt their versatility. Maybe the 49ers are one game worse than they would be otherwise in 2025 in a Deebo-less universe.
The 49ers might also be listening to trade offers for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He is San Francisco's best receiver.
All of this could be great news for the Seahawks. Seattle should be no worse next year, and the defense should start the season stronger than it did in 2024 since players will understand further, with a year of experience, what head coach Mike Macdonald wants. Even if the Rams lose Stafford and the 49ers lose Samuel, making a one-game difference, that might be enough to get Seattle into the playoffs.