Sometimes, because of Mike Macdonald’s immediate success, we forget he is a young coach — just in his third year.
It was so easy to think he had figured it all out when he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title in 2025. But the bumps are coming high and hard this season. And that’s on Macdonald. It’s also going to be on him to make the changes needed to get over the humps and avoid wasting this season.
Continue reading Will young coach be willing to make tough decisions to save season?
Ben Johnson’s Bears are Super Bowl contenders, and the Seahawks are contending with a lot of problems as they sit at .500 after a 34-17 embarrassment Monday night.
It was the worst loss since a 30-13 defeat in Green Bay late in Mike Macdonald’s first season in Seattle. It also was the third loss in a four-game stretch against strong playoff contenders; the Hawks lost to the 49ers and Broncos before dominating the Chiefs in a Sunday night game.
At this point, the Hawks (4-4) are not a playoff team. And, unless they overhaul their offense and fix some of their key Achilles on defense, they will remain not a playoff team.
Continue reading Total team fail, but Fleury needs to fix offense for Darnold
The Seahawks are about to play their third straight prime-time game and fourth straight game against a playoff contender. They are trying just to split these four – because they gave away games against the 49ers and Broncos before stopping the turnover fest and dominating the Chiefs last Sunday night.
This is a big game not only because of the potential NFC playoff ramifications – the 5-2 Bears at the 4-3 Seahawks — but because it pits two successful young coaches who were Seattle’s top two choices after Pete Carroll was fired in 2024.
This is one of those what-if matchups. As in what if Ben Johnson had not wanted to stay as Detroit’s OC in 2024?
Continue reading Johnson vs. Macdonald: 2024 candidates square off in big NFC battle
Many seem to assume that both Zach Charbonnet AND Jadarian Price will return to play against the Bears on Monday night. But Mike Macdonald’s words made it sound like Price might not be there – and we think it might be because the Seahawks are trying to make Price part of a trade package for Jonathan Taylor.
NFL insiders say the Seahawks are among the teams interested in the Colts’ star running back. The Colts have declined an offer from an unreported team of a second-round pick and additional compensation. They reportedly want something like the Panthers got for Christian McCaffrey in 2022 – that was a 2, 3, 4 and 5.
If John Schneider is going for Taylor, it would mean he considers the star rusher an upgrade over both Price and Kenneth Walker III, whom he declined to pay. And that would make Price expendable. So why not offer him as part of the trade package? Maybe the Colts would go for the younger, cheaper first-round back, plus perhaps a 2 and a mid-round pick.
Continue reading Are Hawks offering Price in a deal for Taylor?
The Seahawks’ offense took a step back to take a step forward last Sunday vs. Kansas City, and then it took an even bigger step Tuesday when John Schneider added All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson.
It’s all very promising as the Hawks get ready to host the Bears in a very important NFC matchup on Monday night.
Yes, it will take a minute for Nelson to adjust to Seattle’s playbook – and for Grey Zabel to get used to playing on the right side. But Mike Macdonald, Brian Fleury and Sam Darnold are not concerned – they feel like they have fixed the biggest problems on offense.
Continue reading As line shuffles, have Fleury and Darnold already fixed offense?
The Seahawks actually gave away two third-round picks for Quenton Nelson.
There was the one they gave the Colts in the trade (along with a future 5), and there was the one they cut to make room for the All-Pro guard.
It’s a great lesson about how John Schneider should always approach his third-rounders: Trade them. For players, for higher draft picks, for a cup of coffee. Just get rid of them.
Continue reading Schneider has found better ways to use his third-rounders
A few days ago, John Schneider was being pilloried by many for a bad offseason/letting Ken Walker go.
Then, in a span of two days, the Seahawks dominated Walker and the erstwhile undefeated Chiefs and followed that up by adding All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson.
Just like that, Schneider’s a hero again.
To get Nelson, the Hawks sent the Colts a third-rounder in 2027 and a fifth in 2028. It is the fourth straight year that Schneider has made a major in-season trade. He acquired Leonard Williams in 2023, Ernest Jones IV (and Roy Robertson-Harris) in 2024, Rashid Shaheed in 2025, and now Nelson in 2026.
Continue reading Schneider strikes again, adding All-Pro Nelson to beef up line
When Sam Darnold makes two major mistakes, it’s 50-50 whether the Seahawks will overcome them. But if he limits himself to just one, the Hawks win. Always.
Behind a dominant Dark Side performance, another JSN classic and a much-improved game from Darnold and the offense, Seattle clamped down on Kenneth Walker III and Patrick Mahomes on Sunday night – handing the Chiefs their first 2026 loss, 20-3.
It was a reminder that the Seahawks are fully capable of dominating any team in the NFL and are still a force to be reckoned with as long as they do not give the ball away.
Mike Macdonald said, “We’re still a championship-caliber team, and that’s what we’re chasing.”
Continue reading Darnold & Co. do their part as Dark Side smothers Chiefs
As Kenneth Walker III, the NFL’s leading rusher, came back to Seattle for a Sunday night matchup between his Chiefs and his old Seahawks, the debate and speculation over Seattle’s decisions – past and potential — at running back was hot and heavy.
John Schneider was taking heat for not paying Walker (who is getting $14.3 million a year from the Chiefs), and many were discussing whether the GM should/might make a trade for a name running back such as Jonathan Taylor or Saquon Barkley.
Schneider reportedly is indeed considering pursuing Taylor, who in 2020 said he would love to be drafted by the Seahawks.
Let’s explore why Schneider let Walker go in free agency and also look at what a possible trade for Taylor would mean.
Continue reading With Walker’s return, Taylor trade talk begins
The Seahawks, sitting at 3-3 after having given away three games with offensive turnovers, are in danger of falling under .500 for the first time since the middle of Mike Macdonald’s first season — over 30 games ago.
The danger is real, with Kenneth Walker III and the undefeated Chiefs in town for a Sunday night showdown that could become a beatdown if the Seahawks do not come prepared on offense for once.
A win over Kansas City is exactly what the Hawks need. They need to win with a good offensive performance, to show they are done bumbling along and turning the ball over. They need to win to give Sam Darnold confidence and prove that Macdonald’s faith in him is justified. They need to win to show they can beat one of the best teams in the NFL.
Continue reading The details the offense needs to fix to avoid dropping under .500
