Salk: The Super Bowl champion Seahawks are still getting better

I think the Seattle Seahawks might be better in 2026. I know it sounds sort of crazy to say, but we had two conversations this week that really made me think that Mike Macdonald is just getting started.

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We first were reacting to a really cool article by Jeff Howe in The Athletic, where he talked about the Seahawks as being ahead of schedule last year – even on their own timeline. And it got me thinking, well, if their timeline was to be at their best next year and the year after, how much better could they be?

I mean, they’ve already won a Super Bowl, and quite frankly, they did it in dominant fashion, especially throughout the postseason. What they did to San Francisco, what they did to New England, and obviously they had a very good game against the Rams. But if there is natural progression to take place, man, I shudder to think how much better they can be.

And I’ll tell you what, it makes sense, right?

Nick Emmanwori should be significantly better. Grey Zabel in his second year should be significantly better. Rylie Mills, who a lot of people thought could have been a second-round pick if it weren’t for injury, should be significantly better. They’re bringing back most of this team. And oh, by the way, Sam Darnold’s second year with more comfort with this wide receiving corps. They could be legitimately better than they were a year ago.

The other part of this is just about the coach. It’s just about Mike Macdonald. This guy’s only in Year 3.

And we had some questions coming in. We knew he was going to be a great defensive schemer, but did you know he was going to be as good at culture-building as he’s been? Did you know that he was going to be essentially flawless with the in-game decision-making, which he has been on fourth downs and punts and kicks and all that stuff? Did you know that he was going to be as good at teaching? Did you know that he was going to be as good at hiring? Nailed the offensive coordinator hire last year, clearly, and we’ll see if it worked again this season.

So, I really do feel as hopeful for the future of the Seahawks as I do the past – which is pretty impressive, considering the most recent past is that they won the Super Bowl.

This article is a transcript of the video at the top of the post. It is edited for clarity. Catch Mike Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

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