Matt Calkins: Are the Seahawks a dynasty in the making? The pieces are in place for a special run.

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Apr 8, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SEATTLE — It’s early April. Not usually prime season for NFL talk.

But if you didn’t notice, the team in this town won a Super Bowl two months back.

The Seattle Mariners? Not quite themselves yet. The Seattle Kraken? About to miss the playoffs once again.

But the Seahawks? Who knows — maybe a dynasty in the making.

I know, the “D” word isn’t one to be used lightly. Since the turn of the millennium, the Patriots and Chiefs are the only NFL teams that can lay claim to such a title. But these Seahawks dominated the regular season. Dominated the playoffs, too. And the core — save for a Super Bowl-MVP running back — is returning. Why not think big? Why not dream of sustained supremacy as so many things seem to be true?

Things like …

— Sam Darnold is no fluke. The Seahawks quarterback is coming off his second straight season in which he won 14 games. The only other QB in NFL history to do that is one Tom Brady. Sure, it helps that Darnold gets to play 17 contests a year, but his prowess is undeniable.

The only real question was whether the veteran would be able to perform in the biggest moments — a question amplified after Seattle’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in their first meeting last season. But after that game, the man repeatedly shined when the lights were brightest, and seems primed to do so again. Plus …

— He’s got the best defense in the league on the other side of the ball. Until the parade after the Super Bowl, the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” didn’t show anything near the same personality as its Legion of Boom predecessors. Their ability to prevent points, however, was every bit as dynamic.

The Seahawks didn’t produce any first-team All-Pros on defense. But they led the league in points allowed and only got better as the year went on. Through three quarters of the Super Bowl, it looked as though they might shut the Patriots out until New England put up 13 virtually meaningless points in the fourth. The best part for Seahawks fans? The most impactful defensive players — Leonard Williams, Devon Witherspoon, Ernest Jones IV, Jarran Reed, Nick Emmanwori, Byron Murphy II, etc. — are returning. And …

— They’re playing under potentially the league’s best coach. Mike Macdonald didn’t win Coach of the Year, but I’m not sure there’s anyone in the NFL wearing a headset who’s a more coveted commodity. It’s not just that his teams win, it’s that they consistently improve. Halfway through the 2024 season, it didn’t seem as though Seattle made much of a defensive upgrade with Macdonald at the helm. Then came the second half, when the Seahawks’ “D” became borderline elite.

Last season the “D” was borderline elite in the first half of the season, then blossomed into one of the fiercest defenses the league has seen since those LOB days. This isn’t a coincidence. There was a story last week about a “day-drinking day” event out at Phoenix during league meetings in which 28 out of 32 coaches attended. Among those was Rams coach Sean McVay. Hey, no judgment here. These coaches deserve a cold one every now and then. But Macdonald was one of the four coaches not there. Maybe there was just a scheduling conflict. Or maybe the man was just hard at work.

— Kind of like the brass is. Seahawks general manager John Schneider has long been one of the most respected executives in the league, and he finally got his due recognition by winning the NFL Executive of the Year honor last season. And frankly, since obtaining final say on all personnel matters after Pete Carroll’s firing in 2024, his acumen has been on full display. He cut ties with Geno Smith and signed Darnold. He cut ties with DK Metcalf and watched Jaxon Smith-Njigba win Offensive Player of the Year. He traded for Jones. He drafted Murphy and Emmanwori. Does this mean every move from here on in will be a hit? No. Does it mean he’s earned the benefit of the doubt on any draft pick, signing or trade? Hell yes.

I try to avoid any kind of homerism when clacking on my laptop. I’ve always felt readers prefer reality over spin. But what this team has accomplished? What it’s capable of doing? It deserves nothing but praise.

Winning a Super Bowl is hard. Winning them back-to-back has happened just twice this century.

Can the Seahawks make it thrice? Hard thing to bet against.

____