In February, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider became the first GM in NFL history to reach multiple Super Bowls with zero carryover between teams. Then, when the Seahawks trounced the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LX, Schneider became the first-ever GM to win two Super Bowls with entirely different head coaches and rosters.
In other words, Schneider isn’t programmed to rest on his laurels. This offseason will be no different for the reigning champions.
Seattle has the second-best odds to win Super Bowl LXI behind only the Los Angeles Rams, who leapfrogged Seattle by trading for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie on Wednesday. The Seahawks don’t have any glaring needs, even though they might lose a few starters in free agency, so this offseason figures to feature more tweaking than wholesale moves, unlike last offseason.
This time last year, the Seahawks traded star wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They traded veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who had started in Seattle since 2022, to the Las Vegas Raiders, then signed quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency. First- and second-round 2025 NFL Draft picks guard Grey Zabel and safety Nick Emmanwori were key starters in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run.
So, the Seahawks have the luxury of choice. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, they’ll choose to give defensive wunderkind head coach Mike Macdonald even more defensive firepower. (The Seahawks were the top-ranked scoring defense in 2025.) Graziano predicts that impending unrestricted free agent Khalil Mack will sign with the Seahawks on a one-year, $18 million deal.
“At 35 years old, it feels like Mack has reached the year-to-year portion of his career,” Graziano wrote. “He can still be a huge help to a contender — he had 5.5 sacks in 2025 — and some team might see him as the player it’s been missing. In this case, we’re sending him to a team that will be looking to repeat as Super Bowl champs and is likely losing a number of key players on both sides of the ball in free agency.”
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Kris Rhim reported that Mack “had mulled retirement” but decided to return for his 13th NFL season in 2026. Should Graziano nail his prediction and Mack sign in Seattle for one year and $18 million, it will be the exact contract he signed to stay with the Los Angeles Chargers last March.
Mack began his career with the then-Oakland Raiders from 2014 to 2017, then was the subject of an all-time blockbuster trade to the Chicago Bears in 2018. He left Chicago for Los Angeles in 2022.
Mack has nothing left to play for individually. The 2014 No. 5 overall pick is a nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. But he’s 0-6 in his career in the playoffs, and he wants to win before he hangs up the pads.
“I’m naturally a competitor,” Mack told reporters after the Chargers’ AFC Wild Card loss in January. “It’s in me since I was a kid. I grew up with my two other brothers, and that’s all I know, competition. Competing and trying to be the best. You want to ultimately be a champion.”
Mack would have his best shot yet at capturing the Lombardi Trophy if he signed with Seattle.
