It's been quite the offseason for the Seattle Seahawks . As they enter their second year under head coach Mike Macdonald, they've undergone several huge changes. None more pressing as the change under center.
Gone is Geno Smith, who resurrected his career following the Russell Wilson trade. Seattle and Smith couldn't come to terms on a new deal, so he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Taking over will be Sam Darnold, another quarterback who recently revived his career.
Darnold went from being considered a first-round bust to a starter in the playoffs for the Minnesota Vikings. Now, he's the leader of a Seattle offense that also lost D.K. Metcalf, who has been replaced by veteran Cooper Kupp.
Those changes are being questioned by Bleacher Report's Mo Moton, who says Seattle hasn't improved at key positions, even calling them the biggest losers in the NFC West this offseason.
"This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks added older or less established players at key positions."
Of course, it all comes down to how well Darnold plays. Moton has questions there as well, saying there's a chance he could regress due to the lack of help around him.
"On one hand, Darnold is coming off his best year, a Pro Bowl campaign with the Minnesota Vikings. Yet he only has one quality year in a full-time starting role. The Seahawks had limited options on the free-agent market and added the best available quarterback. Still, Darnold could be primed for regression with a lesser supporting cast than he had in Minnesota."
The arguments against Seattle are valid, but it's worth noting that their counterparts might have had more issues. The San Francisco 49ers traded away one of their key pieces, Deebo Samuel, and didn't find anyone to adequately replace him.
They also spent another offseason with trade rumors buzzing around Brandon Aiyuk and have an interesting contract situation to figure out with quarterback Brock Purdy.
Considering they were just 6-11 last season, all these concerns could be devastating for the 49ers. Which is why it's interesting that they weren't named the biggest losers.
