The first thing you need to know about the 2024 Seattle Seahawks is that they are not your daddy's Seattle Seahawks. A new era has begun for this franchise and the people they have chosen to lead it into the future have inspired nothing but absolute confidence this offseason.
That means fans can bet that this team will finally break out of their funk of finishing the season 9-8, and storm back into the conversation for NFC contenders. Seahawks legend Richard Sherman, for one, thinks they're going to be a dark-horse team this year and we agree. Here are four bold predictions for the Seahawks this coming season.
The Seahawks win 11 games
The sad truth is this team underperformed the last few seasons. Despite having a solid roster from top to bottom and a damn-good quarterback on a high-value contract, they just barely finished over .500 the last two years, well short of their potential. We're betting that with head coach Mike Macdonald zigging where Pete Carroll might have zagged (especially on fourth and short), this Seahawks team punches through and notches double-digit wins for the first time since 2020, finishing the year 11-6.
JSN to Pro Bowl, Devon Witherspoon All-Pro
After a promising but frustrating rookie season, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has a massive breakout year, totaling over 1,100 receiving yards and scoring nine touchdowns. His catch rate is a phenomenal 78% considering his much-improved usage and JSN earns a trip to the Pro Bowl at the end of the season. Meanwhile, fellow 2023 first-round draft pick Devon Witherspoon adds on his superb rookie year and takes his game to the next level. When the dust settles, Witherspoon is named a first-team All-Pro at cornerback.
Ryan Grubb wins assistant coach of the year
Head coach Mike Macdonald rightfully gets a ton of credit for the team's improvement, and finishes a close-second in the NFL coach of the year race to Dave Canales, who somehow, someway gets the Carolina Panthers to win seven games. However, the staff doesn't go home empty handed. After bumping the Seahawks offense up into becoming a top-five scoring unit, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb wins assistant of the year.
Geno Smith throws for 4,500 yards
Last season Geno Smith wound up throwing for 3,624 yards in 15 games. Thanks to Grubb's play-calling acumen, Smith sets a new career high in 2024 with 4,500 passing yards in a single season. That total would have ranked him fourth in the NFL last year behind Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff and Dak Prescott.
