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The 2026 Seattle Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl LX champions and are going into the season as one of the league's clear-cut obvious contenders. However, that doesn't mean this team won't have key storylines for the 12th Man - and fans across the country - to follow! Recently, ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell listed what he believes are Seattle's Top 3 storylines worth following:
The first one is a reality the Seattle Seahawks will once again find them in: are they going to give absurd amounts of money to their quarterback? Seattle went through this with Geno Smith, and while it is incredibly obvious Sam Darnold is a considerably better player than Smith, they will once again have to determine if their love for Darnold is dependent upon his salary cap number. After all, they did draft Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Barnwell notes Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield's new contract will likely be the benchmark for any Darnold extension. Barnwell mentioned on the Bump and Stacy Show:
As for the second point, Barnwell does understand why the national media or the betting sharps in Vegas might not be that high on the Seahawks. After all, no one considered the Seahawks to be a Super Bowl team last year, and even fewer people expected the Super Bowl to be a Seattle/New England rematch. So there likely is an element of resistance from those who still refuse to acknowledge they were wrong about the Hawks last year, either willingly or not.
Finally, when it comes to the third point regarding Brian Fleury's addition as offensive coordinator, this may be the most impactful storyline for this coming season alone. Barnwell points to the Philadelphia Eagles as an example, as they won the Super Bowl the year prior to Seattle, retained a lot of offensive talent, but struggled on that side of the ball with a first-time offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo. Similarly, this will be Fleury's first stint as an offensive coordinator in the National Football League. There will surely be growing pains along the way, but how bad and how quickly Seattle will be able to overcome them will directly contribute to how well their title defense season plays out.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks NFL season: Top 3 storylines for Seattle in 2026
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- No. 1 - Sam Darnold's looming contract extension
- No. 2 - Are the Seahawks not being properly respected?
- No. 3 - The impact offensive coordinator Brian Fleury will have
The first one is a reality the Seattle Seahawks will once again find them in: are they going to give absurd amounts of money to their quarterback? Seattle went through this with Geno Smith, and while it is incredibly obvious Sam Darnold is a considerably better player than Smith, they will once again have to determine if their love for Darnold is dependent upon his salary cap number. After all, they did draft Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Barnwell notes Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield's new contract will likely be the benchmark for any Darnold extension. Barnwell mentioned on the Bump and Stacy Show:
As for the second point, Barnwell does understand why the national media or the betting sharps in Vegas might not be that high on the Seahawks. After all, no one considered the Seahawks to be a Super Bowl team last year, and even fewer people expected the Super Bowl to be a Seattle/New England rematch. So there likely is an element of resistance from those who still refuse to acknowledge they were wrong about the Hawks last year, either willingly or not.
Finally, when it comes to the third point regarding Brian Fleury's addition as offensive coordinator, this may be the most impactful storyline for this coming season alone. Barnwell points to the Philadelphia Eagles as an example, as they won the Super Bowl the year prior to Seattle, retained a lot of offensive talent, but struggled on that side of the ball with a first-time offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo. Similarly, this will be Fleury's first stint as an offensive coordinator in the National Football League. There will surely be growing pains along the way, but how bad and how quickly Seattle will be able to overcome them will directly contribute to how well their title defense season plays out.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks NFL season: Top 3 storylines for Seattle in 2026
Continue reading...
