The first season of the Mike Macdonald era comes to a close this weekend for the Seattle Seahawks.
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The Seahawks have a chance to end Macdonald’s first year with a 10-win season in Sunday’s finale against the Rams. That would mark a one-win improvement from Pete Carroll’s final season, but ultimately the team will be watching the playoffs from home for a second straight year.
Macdonald’s first season featured some positive signs for the team. Most notably, the defense he was hired to fix took big steps forward and continued to get better as the season went on. There were also some unwanted developments, like the offense’s struggles with turnovers and effectiveness in the run game.
As the Seahawks get set for the second year of Macdonald’s tenure, they’ll face a number of key questions this offseason. Here are the four biggest ones.
Do Geno Smith and DK Metcalf get extensions?
The two biggest decisions the Seahawks may make this offseason center around their quarterback and top wide receiver. Geno Smith and DK Metcalf are both heading into the final year of their contracts and are in line for extensions that could shape the offense – and the franchise – moving forward. But it could be tough for the Seahawks to swing extensions for both while remaining competitive in other areas.
Smith and Metcalf could end up combining to make over $70 million per year on their next deals. Fifteen quarterbacks in the league are currently making an average of at least $40 million per year, per OverTheCap.com. So it’s reasonable to assume Smith would command a contract in that range. And extensions signed earlier this year by top-end wide receivers Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb were worth over $30 million per year. Metcalf could be looking for the same sort of deal.
Related: Schlereth weighs in on Geno Smith’s future with Seahawks
Smith’s case is a polarizing one for Seahawks fans. There have been times when the veteran quarterback has flourished this season and others when he’s cost the team greatly with turnovers. He ranks in the top five in the league in completion percentage (70.2%) and passing yards (4,097), but is second in interceptions with 15. Smith also turns 35 next season, so any potential extension would keep him in Seattle through at least his age-36 season. The Seahawks could look for Smith’s post-2025 replacement in the upcoming draft, but this year’s quarterback class isn’t nearly as strong as last year’s. There also don’t seem to be any potential upgrades heading into free agency outside of Sam Darnold, who Minnesota could make a strong effort to re-sign.
Metcalf also has an interesting case. He hasn’t put up the same sort of numbers as Jefferson or Lamb, but by all accounts he draws the same sort of attention as a No. 1 receiver with his unique blend of size and athleticism. If the Seahawks were to let Metcalf walk after 2025, they could have some major holes to fill at wide receiver, since the team very well could move on from veteran wideout Tyler Lockett after this year. However, Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s breakout second season may be enough to convince the team it can reconstruct its wide receiver room around the Ohio State product. Wide receiver seems like an area the Seahawks should address at some point in the upcoming draft. If they do, the type of capital they sink into the position could be a telling sign of their plans with Metcalf.
Does Ryan Grubb return?
The adjustment of moving from the college to the NFL level can be a difficult one for coaches, which certainly seemed to be the case for first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Grubb led one of nation’s top offenses during his two seasons as the offensive coordinator with the UW Huskies before joining the Seahawks, but his pass-heavy attack has produced mixed results and the Seahawks have struggled to get much going on the ground throughout the season.
Seattle’s overall numbers are fairly similar to what they were last season. In fact, the Seahawks are averaging slightly more points (0.2), total yards (9.0), passing yards (8.1) and rushing yards per game (0.9) than they did a season ago. But the expectation was that Grubb could take an offense with pieces like Metcalf, Smith-Njigba and running back Kenneth Walker III to a different level than Shane Waldron did.
Of course, Seattle’s poor offensive line play factors in here. Grubb has had the difficult task of trying to put together an offensive game plan with a line that’s had several changing parts and simply doesn’t win enough battles at the line of scrimmage. And it hasn’t helped that Smith has thrown the second-most interceptions in the league.
One year seems like an awful short leash for Grubb. He could certainly get things figured out with an offseason to adjust the parts of his offense that weren’t working in his first season in the NFL. But his pass-first attack also seems like it clashes with the identity the Seahawks are trying to form under Macdonald.
Will there be significant upgrades to the O-line?
What would a Seahawks offseason be without lingering questions about the offensive line? The O-line was once again a major problem for the Seahawks in 2024, and it remains as the group that needs to be upgraded most moving forward.
There were a number of reasons for Seattle’s troubles up front this season. Right tackle was a revolving door due to injuries until Abraham Lucas made his long-awaited return from a knee injury that limited his 2023 season to just six games. Center Connor Williams, the team’s biggest free agency add on the line, retired midseason after a disappointing nine-game tenure with the team. Veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson, another offseason add, has had an inconsistent year. And right guard has been an absolute mess with second-year pro Anthony Bradford and rookies Christian Haynes and Sataoa Laumea each having their share of difficulties when called on to man the spot.
Related: Daniel Jeremiah: Why Seahawks can fix O-line this offseason
With that being said, a lack of overall talent is as big a culprit as any to the struggles on the line. Seattle just hasn’t invested all that much in its offensive line outside of mid-to-late-round draft picks and one-year deals for middling veterans over the past several seasons. With clear holes to fill on the interior of the offensive line and insurance likely needed for Lucas at right tackle, this seems as good an offseason as ever for the Seahawks to invest in the offensive line via a first-round pick or significant free agent signing (or both). However, general manager John Schneider has expressed an unwillingness to spend big money and high draft picks when it comes to the interior of the offensive line.
Will Ernest Jones IV re-sign?
When it comes to who deserves credit for the Seahawks’ midseason defensive turnaround, linebacker Ernest Jones IV is high on the list. Seattle’s defense has improved greatly since acquiring Jones in an Oct. 23 trade with Tennessee, particularly against the run.
In the seven games before the trade, the Seahawks allowed opponents to rush for 146.1 yards per game on 5.0 yards per carry. In the nine games since, they’ve allowed just 105.1 rushing yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry. They’re also allowing 3.2 fewer points per game (23.4 to 20.2) in the nine games.
Related: Seahawks should extend Ernest Jones IV, but there’s one concern
Jones is set to become a free agent for the first time this offseason and has expressed interest in returning to the organization. Macdonald has also expressed interest in bringing the linebacker back. The biggest question may be whether or not the Seahawks can afford to lock up Jones long-term. For reference, former Seattle linebacker Jordyn Brooks signed to a three-year, $26.3 million deal with the Dolphins last offseason following his rookie deal.
According to Overthecap.com, the Seahawks are roughly $8 million over the projected salary cap figure for 2025. They also have potential extensions for Smith, Metcalf and others to consider, but a lot of money comes off the books after 2025 and there are avenues to freeing up space for next season via cuts and contract reconstructions.
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