While there is no way of knowing for a couple of years, the Seattle Seahawks' 2025 offseason appears to be a winner. Seattle began March by trading quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf, both of whom requested to leave the team, but things have trended upward ever since.
The Seahawks signed quarterback Sam Darnold, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and wide receiver Cooper Kupp, among others, and then had a fantastic draft. This included taking offensive linemen Grey Zabel in the first round. He should help upgrade the O-line immediately.
Seattle finished second in the NFC West last year, and the team that finished first, the Los Angeles Rams, has also had a fine offseason. Their draft might not have been as good, but they are set up for success in 2025. Before 2024, the San Francisco 49ers mostly ruled the division, but that might have changed.
Seahawks' rival 49ers finally make a decent offseason move
This offseason, San Francisco traded wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who was a great fit in the 49ers offense, and watched as defensive studs linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga left in free agency. Edge rusher Leonard Floyd, who had 8.5 sacks last season, was released.
Some of the 49ers' moves are comically bad. Moving on from Samuel, who was unhappy with his contract, was one thing, but only getting a fifth-round draft pick back from the Washington Commanders in a trade was terrible, at least for the 49ers, but not the rest of the division.
Based on all the moves that San Francisco has made, and the fact that their salary cap room is going to get a lot tighter, assuming they extend quarterback Brock Purdy, the 49ers are a diminished team heading into the 2025 season than they have been over the last half-decade. But the team did finally make a wise move recently.
The 49ers agreed to an extension with tight end George Kittle for four years and up to $76.4 million with $40 million guaranteed. He is 31 years old, and he should be close to the end of his career by the time the extension is done. But Kittle is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and he has been named First-Team or Second-Team All-Pro in each of the last three seasons.
The bad part for the Seahawks is that San Francisco seemingly finally made a good offseason move. Hopefully, this is not the start of a positive trend for them. Of course, while the cap will likely continue to rise each season, after paying Kittle and Purdy, San Francisco will not be in the best financial shape in the division for some time.
