Seahawks' offseason was best in NFL thanks to Sam Darnold, John Schneider

The Seattle Seahawks are in the NFC Championship game, playing at home, and with a chance to go to the Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years.

It's an incredible showing from the Seahawks, and with their star-studded defense and strong offense, the Seahawks offseason additions have made an instant-impact for Seattle.

ESPN's Dan Graziano made the bold claim that the Seahawks offseason was the best in the NFL in 2025. Based on the moves they made, whether it was draft picks, trades, or free-agent signings, it's hard to argue with that claim.

Seahawks had the best offseason in the NFL in 2025

The Seahawks' offseason was headlined by their decision to bring in Sam Darnold on a massive free-agent contract.

It was a controversial decision, with many experts and analysts believing the Las Vegas Raiders got better by trading for Geno Smith, while the Seahawks got worse by adding Darnold.

As seen by how the 2025 season went, the Seahawks made the right choice by a wide margin. Smith regressed in a big way and was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this season, while Darnold has the Seahawks one win from the Super Bowl.

But this offseason isn't the best in the NFL based solely on their quarterback moves. John Schneider put on a masterclass this offseason in both the draft and free agency.

DeMarcus Lawrence and Cooper Kupp were free-agent additions, and both were incredible pickups for Seattle this season.

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In the NFL Draft, the Seahawks took Nick Emmanwori in the second round, and he's turned into one of the best defenders in the league. And Grey Zabel, their first-round lineman, has been one of the best guards in the league.

The Seahawks nailed their most important moves this offseason, including their decision to trade DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Essentially, all of their big moves worked to perfection.

With all of the moves in mind, Graziano answered the question of whether it's an overreaction to say this offseason from Schneider was the best in the NFL. He simply wrote, "No, not an overreaction."

No team has had quite the prolific offseason that the Seahawks had, as they were able to bring in a boatload of talent this offseason, both young and old, to the point where they're not Super Bowl favorites.

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