Even after title, Seahawks may still be an ‘ascending’ team

Already with a Lombardi Trophy in hand, the Seattle Seahawks’ future looks as bright as the sunshine glistening off the Cascades.

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Seattle won a Super Bowl last season with the NFL’s fourth-youngest team in terms of snap-weighted age, according to FTN Fantasy. And the vast majority of that young and talented roster is back, including 20 of 22 starters.

Furthermore, the Seahawks have eight returning starters or key contributors who are age 25 or younger: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (24), Devon Witherspoon (25), Nick Emmanwori (22), Byron Murphy II (23), Grey Zabel (24), Charles Cross (25), AJ Barner (24) and Derick Hall (25).

During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Sports Illustrated senior NFL reporter Albert Breer pointed to that young core as a reason why the Seahawks might still be on the ascent.

“If you look at the guts of the roster, it’s JSN, it’s Cross, it’s Witherspoon, it’s Murphy,” Breer said. “It’s all of these guys that are right there at the front end of the prime of their careers.

“There are so many players on the team that are still ascending,” he added. “And that’s why you really look at it and say … there’s a lot of meat left on the bone with the Seahawks.”

Smith-Njigba piled up an NFL-leading 1,793 receiving yards last season and was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Emmanwori finished second in 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and was as valuable as any player on the Seahawks’ top-ranked scoring defense. Witherspoon is already a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback.

Murphy had 7.0 sacks last season, tied for third-most among NFL defensive tackles. Zabel and Cross were cornerstones on Seattle’s best offensive line in ages. And in the Super Bowl, Barner caught a touchdown pass and Hall recorded a pair of sacks.

With all that 25-and-under talent, the Seahawks’ championship window may have only just begun.

“It’s not like this was John Elway riding off into the sunset (with) an aging roster,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah told Brock and Salk last week. “Like, this should be the beginning of their run.”

Listen to the full Albert Breer conversation at this link and the full Daniel Jeremiah conversation at this link. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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