The 2025 NFL season has concluded, with the Seattle Seahawks emerging as the final champions. While fantasy football season is over, postseason outcomes still offer useful insights for the 2026 offseason. Yahoo analyst Matt Harmon outlines what each Super Bowl team should prioritize to get better next year.
Seattle Seahawks — Offensive coordinator priority
Seattle spent most of 2025 playing like the league’s best team and ultimately capped that run with a Super Bowl title. This team’s identity was less about one superstar quarterback and more about sound roster construction, a disciplined scheme, and a stingy defense — qualities that repeatedly came up during Super Bowl week in San Francisco. The scary part for the rest of the NFC: Seattle returns largely intact, sits with roughly the sixth-most cap space in the league (per Over The Cap), and controls its own picks in the first three rounds of the draft.
They do face some free-agent decisions, particularly along the defensive front with edge players Kobe Bryant, Josh Jobe, Tarik Uhlen and Boi Maffeh set to hit the market. Losing multiple contributors would change depth and roles, but Seattle doesn’t hinge on a single superstar and has the financial flexibility to preserve the mix it prefers.
On offense, the big names potentially available are wide receiver Rashid Shahid and Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III. Shahid might be open to returning, but the team still trusts rookie Torrey Horton and may try to economize at receiver as they prepare for a likely large extension for Jackson Smith-Njiba. Walker could attract strong offers if he reaches free agency, but given Seattle’s substantial cap room (north of $73 million), retaining him for at least one more year would be affordable — especially after Zach Charbonnet suffered an ACL tear in the divisional round and Walker delivered a historic postseason run.
Walker’s profile is somewhat mixed: an explosive, downhill runner with rare size-and-speed traits who is less reliable as a pass-catcher and pass protector. He can create big plays on screens and checkdowns but doesn’t stretch the field with route-running, making him similar to a Derrick Henry–type back who needs the right scheme and supporting cast to maximize value. Seattle may be the ideal fit, and they know how to use him — even if fantasy managers wish his regular-season production had mirrored his postseason surge.
The biggest offseason X-factor for Seattle is coaching continuity. Klint Kubiak has accepted the Las Vegas Raiders’ head-coaching job, per his confirmation to NFL Network, which means the Seahawks must hire a new offensive coordinator for the third consecutive season. After an unsuccessful pairing with Ryan Grubb and a very successful run with Kubiak, Seattle will likely look for someone within the Shanahan/McVay coaching tree or a like-minded play-caller. With established personnel—Sam Darnold at quarterback, Smith-Njiba at receiver, an improving offensive line, and clear proof that success here can springboard a coach to a head job—this will be an attractive opening for upwardly mobile offensive minds.
Seattle’s offense had great highs in 2025 — think the NFC Championship and that Week 16 shelling of the Rams — but finished 14th in offensive EPA after beginning the season among the top 10. They’re not broken, but there’s room to tighten the offense, and hiring the right offensive coordinator should be a top priority for maintaining and growing their advantage.
New England Patriots — Add offensive talent and protection
New England’s Cinderella run ended when they ran into Seattle, the season’s best team. Their unexpected trip to the Super Bowl pushed their rebuild forward faster than anyone expected, largely because a stout defense and favorable postseason bounces masked talent gaps. But when they faced elite competition in the Super Bowl, their offensive limitations became glaring.
By one telling metric — points per drive among playoff teams since 2000 — the 2025 Patriots rank 75th out of 76, illustrating how inept their offense was in the postseason despite a strong regular-season EPA ranking. The dropoff came against increasingly tougher defenses in the playoffs: Chargers (6th in EPA allowed), Texans (2nd), Broncos (8th), and Seahawks (1st). New England’s offensive line and pass protection, in particular, were exploited; rookie left tackle Will Campbell surrendered 14 pressures in the Super Bowl according to Next Gen Stats. While Campbell showed promise as a rookie, his struggles — alongside other line weaknesses — were magnified in high-stakes matchups.
If Campbell’s issues are technique-based, that’s fixable; if they’re tied to measurables, it’s riskier. The Patriots could consider shuffling pieces — for example, moving fellow rookie Jared Wilson back to center, sliding Campbell inside to left guard, and acquiring a more prototypical left tackle with better size and technique — to instantly improve the unit. Beyond personnel, the staff might also modernize protection concepts to better handle today’s top pass rushes, but upgrading talent up front will create a larger margin for error.
New England’s pass-catching group also needs attention. Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins provided enough in the regular season, but postseason play exposed the lack of a true perimeter game-changer. Diggs is 33 and facing off-field issues, Hollins is a free agent who is more of a blocker and role player, and Boutte projects as a high-end X receiver with limited route volume. With more than $42 million in cap space, the Patriots should aggressively pursue upgrades, whether in free agency, trade market, or draft — names like A.J. Brown, Brian Thomas Jr., or Brandon Aiyuk are the kind of targets they might explore.
Finally, rookie QB Drake Maye’s playoff performance was uneven. He finished the year in MVP conversations but regressed in efficiency during the postseason: turnovers, holding the ball too long, and indecision compounded the offense’s systemic problems. At 23, Maye is still developing; he deserves time and better surrounding pieces. The offseason task for New England is clear: shore up protection, add perimeter weapons, and refine the system so Maye has the support needed to grow into his ceiling.
Fan Take: This offseason matters because Seattle looks set to remain a top contender if they retain key pieces and land a savvy offensive coordinator, while New England’s run proves that young quarterbacks need protection and weapons to win at the highest level. How these teams address coaching and personnel will shape not only their futures but also how other franchises prioritize scheme fit versus star acquisition in building contenders.
