PHOENIX — Mike Macdonald has no interest in looking at the rearview mirror. Fresh off leading the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots, the youngest championship coach in NFL history told reporters Tuesday that his team will not enter the 2026 season as “defending” champions.
Standing in the hallways of the Arizona Biltmore during the annual league meetings, Macdonald made it clear that the 2025 banner belongs to history. The Seahawks didn’t just win a ring; they reset the standard for the franchise. But with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and offensive architect Klint Kubiak gone, the challenge of a repeat looks vastly different than the road to the first title.
The Seahawks shocked the football world last season. After trading veteran Geno Smith, they handed the keys to Sam Darnold, who silenced every critic by captaining a juggernaut offense. Seattle didn’t just stumble into the playoffs; they steamrolled through the NFC. Yet, Macdonald insists that the “defending champion” tag is a trap that leads to complacency.
“Yeah, it’s not a thing. We’re not defending anything,” Macdonald told the gathered media. “I’ve already talked to some of the guys about it. They know what they need to do, but it would be good to work through those things. We want the guys to really make it their journey again so we can all be on the same page moving forward.”
To keep the fire alive, Macdonald plans to implement “walking talks” and collaborative sessions between coaches and players. He wants a consensus on their identity, ensuring the 2026 squad doesn’t try to mimic the 2025 version. This is a necessity, considering the roster churn. While Jaxon Smith-Njigba remains the focal point of the passing game, the loss of Walker III leaves a massive hole in the backfield that Zach Charbonnet and free-agent addition Emanuel Wilson must now fill.
“It’s not just me saying it. Our coaches have an influence and a consensus. We’ll find ways for the guys to really make it their journey again. We’re starting from zero.”
— Mike Macdonald, Seahawks Head Coach
The 2026 Seahawks will look significantly different on both sides of the ball. The defense lost Pro Bowler Boye Mafe to the Bengals and Riq Woolen to the Eagles, but the front office stayed aggressive. The arrival of veteran wideout Cooper Kupp provides Darnold with a legendary security blanket, while DeMarcus Lawrence joins the edge rotation to replace Mafe’s production.
Losing Kubiak’s play-calling is the biggest wild card. Under his guidance, the Seahawks offense was a masterclass in balance, utilizing the strong one-two punch of the ground game to set up Smith-Njigba’s explosive downfield theatrics. Without Walker III’s home-run ability, the pressure shifts heavily to Darnold to prove that his 2025 resurgence wasn’t a one-year wonder. Macdonald’s refusal to “defend” the title isn’t just a coaching cliché—it’s a calculated strategy to ensure a locker room full of new faces remains hungry enough to hunt for another trophy.
