Who will be the Seattle Seahawks’ X-factor this season?

Aug 30, 2025, 2:22 PM

Seattle Sports

There’s plenty of hope surrounding the Seattle Seahawks entering the 2025 season. There’s also quite a bit of uncertainty to go along with it, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

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Seattle is breaking in a new starting quarterback, replacing two of the top receivers in franchise history and trying to improve its offensive line once more. On top of it, the group is in its first year of a new system under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

So when it comes to X-factors for the Seahawks this year, it isn’t much a surprise when the answer comes on the offensive side.

Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus named his X-factor for the Seahawks during his Four Down Territory segment on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. Bumpus looked at the offense, but his focus wasn’t on a specific player or position group.

“The real X-factor of this has to be Kubiak, because Kubiak has to adjust,” he said. “What if your offensive line does not perform the way that you want it to? What if you can’t get the run game going? How are you going to adjust? What if being under center and play action does not work for you? How are you going to adjust?

“But that’s the challenge of every offensive coordinator and every defensive coordinator. This is nothing new to Kubiak.”

The Seahawks hired Kubiak to help revive a dormant run game that ranked 28th in the league last year under former coordinator Ryan Grubb. The 38-year-old Kubiak is known for running the Shanahan-style system that features a wide-zone blocking scheme, play action and plenty of multiple tight end sets.

One of the biggest hurdles for Kubiak to overcome in his first season in the Pacific Northwest is improving the Seahawks’ long-struggling offensive line. The group has a new look this year headlined by first-round Grey Zabel at left guard and a healthy Abraham Lucas at right tackle to start the season. Second-year pro Jalen Sundell has also earned the starting role at center to bring the total up to three new starters from last year’s season opener.

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Bumpus said he won’t just be looking at the overall results on the field when judging the impact Kubiak is making as the X-factor.

“They could not perform the way that they want to. If I just see some adjustments, I get what you’re doing,” Bumpus said. “But the Jimmies and Joes got to win the game for you. If it all makes sense, they could not perform the way they want to and I can throw my hands up and be just fine with what Kubiak is doing. I believe in what he’s doing already, the approach that he’s taking during this preseason, but it’s all about adjustments.

“No matter what happens, whether they’re playing great or they’re playing horribly, Kubiak has to connect the dots and put it together. So my X-factor has to be the man calling the plays.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.