Three Biggest Questions Facing the Seattle Seahawks After Super Bowl LX Championship Season
The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2026 offseason coming off a historic Super Bowl LX Championship, capping a franchise-best 14–3 season with a dominant 29-13 win over the New England Patriots. Their balanced roster and standout performances have set a high bar of expectations. Still, with key decisions looming, the Seahawks must navigate a complex offseason with both short and long-term implications for the franchise. The focal point now: how Seattle manages contracts, personnel uncertainty, and strategic continuity to sustain success.
How Will the Seahawks Handle Star Contracts?
One of the most pressing storylines in the Seattle Seahawks offseason centers on star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards and 119 receptions in 2025 and has expressed confidence that he deserves to be the highest-paid player at his position. Smith-Njigba’s rookie contract expires after 2026, and negotiations over a long-term deal could shape Seattle’s cap flexibility. Decisions here will ripple across the roster. Investing heavily in the 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year could strengthen the offense’s core, but it might also constrain resources for other areas. His elite status and youth make this contract a potential franchise cornerstone, but also a financial balancing act.
What’s Next for Kenneth Walker III and the Backfield?
Another key question involves Super Bowl LX MVP running back Kenneth Walker III, who is poised to hit free agency after a breakout postseason and strong regular season. Multiple reports indicate the Seahawks are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Walker, suggesting Seattle may explore long-term options or prioritize other contract needs. Complicating matters, running back Zach Charbonnet underwent ACL surgery, likely sidelining him into next season and heightening Seattle’s backfield uncertainty. How the front office balances Walker’s market value with Charbonnet’s recovery timeline will be a central offseason storyline.
3. Can Seattle Maintain Strategic Continuity?
Finally, coaching and scheme continuity will influence the Seahawks’ ability to repeat. After the season, Seattle made key staff changes, including the hiring of a new offensive coordinator. This could affect offensive identity and play-calling continuity. Front office leadership under GM John Schneider must integrate these shifts while keeping the core competitive.
As Seattle prepares for the 2026 season, the answers to these questions will decide whether the Seahawks become a rare modern dynasty or a case study in how quickly the NFL can turn. Banners hang forever, but rosters don’t, and the margin between repeating and resetting is usually one or two ruthless decisions. Every contract signed, every player kept or let walk, and every schematic tweak will either reinforce a championship standard or quietly chip away at it. This is the part of the process fans don’t see on Sundays, but it’s where eras are actually built or buried. In the NFL, titles are remembered, but sustained relevance is engineered, and Seattle is now on the clock to prove it can do both.
