Can the Seahawks capture lightning twice? Staying healthy, keeping their defense intact, and navigating the salary cap are key to their championship defense.
After the thrilling 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves at a rare and exciting crossroads. They’ve captured only the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, but now the real test begins: can this young, talented team repeat as champions?
Winning a Super Bowl is one thing — winning back-to-back titles is quite another. In the modern NFL, repeat championships are incredibly difficult to achieve. Only one team in the last two decades, the Kansas City Chiefs, has managed it.
With the Seahawks now wearing the crown, every opponent will be gunning for them, and that shift in how others prepare and strategize against Seattle is one of the first obstacles they’ll face in 2026.
On a recent episode of Seattle Sports' Bump and Stacy, former Seahawks wide receiver Bryan Walters gave his reasons on why the Seattle team he was on was able to make it to back-to-back Super Bowls.
"For starters, we kept pretty much the same personnel. We really did," Walters said. "There were not a whole lot of guys on different waves. Defensively, your core stuck together. And that’ll be the big question (for this team). What are they gonna do with the cornerbacks?"
Seattle had one of the best defenses in the league back when they made back-to-back Super Bowls in 2014 and 2015, and that was also the case this season. And a lot of that was being able to stop the pass.
The team will need to keep hold of their star defensive backs to help keep their defense as effective as it was in 2025.
Another significant hurdle is sustaining health across a grueling 17-game season and playoff gauntlet. In 2025, Seattle rode one of the league’s healthiest rosters, and that availability played a key part in their success. But injuries are unpredictable, and a few key misses — especially on defense or along the offensive line — could dramatically alter the Seahawks’ chances of returning to the Super Bowl.
There’s also the looming challenge of managing contracts and the salary cap. Super Bowl teams often face tough decisions in the offseason, balancing re-signing key contributors against league-wide financial constraints. Analysts have flagged the risk of a “max exodus,” where high-performing players hit free agency, making it tougher to keep the core intact.
Despite all that, Seattle enters the 2026 season with momentum, championship culture, and proven leadership. If they can stay healthy, manage the cap wisely, and continue to evolve under Macdonald’s defensive-first system, repeating as Super Bowl champions — while unlikely — remains a goal they’re still well-positioned to chase.