As the confetti fell at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2, 2014, the newly crowned Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks looked poised to wreak havoc on the NFL for years to come.
Only two seasons removed from back-to-back 7-9 campaigns, Seattle rose to the top of the league behind second-year quarterback Russell Wilson and a roster oozing with young talent, especially on defense.
Wilson, cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Kam Chancellor were 25 years old at the time of Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII victory; safety Earl Thomas and linebacker K.J. Wright were only 24. At 23, linebacker Bobby Wagner was the baby of the bunch.
With such a young nucleus only expected to improve over time, the Seahawks had the makings of a dynasty.
Four-and-a-half years later, however, the Seahawks find themselves in a metamorphosis far different than anyone could have anticipated after that rout of the Broncos in East Rutherford.
Amid a tumultuous offseason, Seattle looks like a shell of its once dominant self. They are a cautionary tale of how small championship windows can be in the NFL.
Wilson, Wagner, Wright and wide receiver Doug Baldwin remain key cogs for the Seahawks, but only six players are still on the roster who participated in the team’s Super Bowl win. Injuries, aging stars and salary cap trouble forced the front office to begin the painful task of dismantling the most successful team in franchise history.
As is the nature of the business, some of these decisions were made by choice, while others had already been decided by outside forces beyond the Seahawks’ control.
Seattle started the process with a bang, releasing the mercurial Sherman, who returned the disfavor by immediately signing with the 49ers. The Seahawks then dealt defensive end Michael Bennett to the Eagles for wide receiver Marcus Johnson and a fifth-round pick.
While the team made the aforementioned moves voluntarily with cap savings in mind, the Seahawks also watched Chancellor and defensive end Cliff Avril walk away from the game on their own accord with career-ending neck injuries, a not-so-friendly reminder of how dangerous this profession can be.
The changes might not be finished, either. After being the subject of trade rumors most of this offseason, Thomas has been absent from offseason activities and will likely hold out of training camp while he seeks a new contract. Wright will also be entering the final season of his contract and will hit free agency next March without an extension.
With these departures and more potentially on the way, the Seahawks will be transitioning several new faces into starting roles for 2018 and beyond, including cornerback Shaquill Griffin. A youth movement similar to the one Seattle experienced back in 2012 appears to be in full swing as Griffin, safety Delano Hill and defensive end Rasheem Green could be cornerstones for the team’s next great defense.
Hoping magic strikes twice and a new core of young talent will quickly return the franchise to contender status, Seattle will be counting on old mainstays such as Wilson and Wagner to ease the burden on a reformed roster.
Just a few short years ago, the Seahawks were the toast of the NFL. Backed by a historically dominant defense and an electric dual-threat quarterback, they became the second-youngest team to win a Super Bowl and looked primed to win more.
But as we’ve seen, every season in this league is precious. Careers can end without warning, and title windows slam shut in an instant. For these new-look Seahawks, the future is already here and the clock is ticking.
