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How rival NFC West teams have already dug holes for themselves in 2025

The LA Rams have made some savvy moves this offseason. So how do they stack up against NFC West Division rivals? Let's check it out.
ByBret Stuter|
Seattle Seahawks v Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks v Los Angeles Rams | Harry How/GettyImages
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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks were a mild surprise in 2024. Not only due to the fact that they finished the season with a record of 10-7, but the fact that they were 4-2 in the NFC West Division. It was that success in the division that propelled the team to fall just short of the 2025 NFL Playoffs. So you might have expected the front office to enter the offseason with a view to retain players and run it back.

But Seahawks GM John Schneider had other ideas. In fact, he harbored radical ideas of how to approach the 2025 NFL season.

To add some details, the Seahawks have undertaken a complete offensive rebuild, starting with trading starting quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a Round 3 pick. The move reunites Smith with former Seahawks HC Pete Carroll, who is the new head coach of the Raiders.

The trade makes sense for the Raiders, a team that was in the running for Rams QB Matthew Stafford before he agreed to terms to return. With Smith returning to play for Coach Carroll, the Raiders offense gets a jumpstart on the new offensive strategy. Smith himself is delighted to work with Carroll again.

If it ended there, that would be a simple hiccup in the Seahawks efforts to retool for a new season. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The Seahawks have traded WR DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers, are unlikely to extend FA WR Tyler Lockett, and have made no effort to resign FA tight end Noah Fant. That means that three of the top four receivers from 2024 will not be back.

That may be for the best. The Seahawks have signed veteran QB Sam Darnold after his one-year surge of production with the Minnesota VIkings. The question is, can Darnold flourish without the spectacular offensive design from Vikings HC Kevin O'Donnell? Former Rams WR Cooper Kupp hopes so, as he signed with the Rams division rivals. He will join WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba and free agent WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the new aerial assassins in the Seahawks offense

With the offensive overhaul, it's tough to envision the Seahawks offense clinging to their 18th-best scoring offense in 2025. Without a capable offense, the Seahawks are unlikely to keep pace in the division.

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