ESPN recently released its future power rankings, and while it would make sense for the Seattle Seahawks to sit at the top of the list given their projected outlook and recent success, it’s another thing to actually see it happen.

ESPN certainly gave the Seahawks their flowers, as Seattle is ranked No. 1 out of all 32 NFL teams with a composite score of 88.7.

With all that being said, let’s create some context: These future power rankings are composed of a panel of four analysts: Louis Riddick, Aaron Schatz, Ben Solak, and Seth Walder. Each panelist ranked every team’s quarterback situation, remaining non-quarterback roster makeup, front office, and coaching staff.

They then used the following scale to rank each team: 

• 100 is elite (A+)
• 90 to 99 is great (A)
• 80 to 89 is very good (B)
• 70 to 79 is average (C)
• 51 to 69 is very bad (D)
• 50 or below is disastrous (F)

The exercise also centers around the 2027 to 2029 window. So, let’s dive into the breakdown now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.

ESPN ranked the Seahawks top-3 in three of the four main categories

As mentioned, the Seahawks finished with the No. 1 overall score in the NFL at 88.7, which qualifies as very good and sits about as close to great as a team can get. The Philadelphia Eagles came in second with an overall score of 88.1, but when you look at the individual category breakdowns for Seattle, the picture becomes extremely impressive.

The overall roster, excluding the quarterback, received a score of 91.25, which ranked first in the NFL. The coaching staff earned a 92.25, good for third. The front office scored an 87.25, second-best in the league. And the quarterback situation came in at 82.25, which ranked 16th.

The Seahawks ranked in the top three in three of the four categories. The worst grade, quarterback, landed at 16th, which is right around average.

I think most people can agree that Sam Darnold is an above-average quarterback. The guy proved it last year. Is he going to light it up and throw 45 touchdown passes in a single season? Probably not. And sure, he made some mistakes last year. But when you look at what he did in the playoffs and in the Super Bowl, where he didn’t throw a single interception, Darnold can carry a game, manage a game, and will his team to win when the moment calls for it.

He has a high floor, maybe a lower ceiling than your top-tier quarterbacks, but at this point in his career, I think it’s safe to say Darnold is going to win you a whole lot more games than he’s going to lose. That’s a big reason he was a major part of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run last year.

Either way, the Seahawks have a top-end roster and it’s set up to stay that way for the future. Add that on top of a great coaching staff, strong front office, and capable quarterback and there’s definitely a path to more Super Bowl wins in the 2027-2029 window.

The Riddick concern: Sam Darnold and a new offensive coordinator

Now for the concern aspect. Louis Riddick did weigh in on the quarterback situation, and his words are worth reading in full:

“The relationship between Darnold and former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was an obvious net positive for the organization,” wrote Riddick. “For the future, what does the real-time relationship look like between Darnold and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury? Fleury is not just calling plays for the first time on the NFL level, but also doing it with a roster that is set up to contend in the future.”

Honestly, that doesn’t read as much of a concern. If Fleury and Darnold can hit the ground running in 2026, that should set everything up well for this 2027 to 2029 window. A new first-year offensive play-caller installing a new system with a team like the Seahawks will produce bumps in the road, but look at what Darnold did with Kubiak last year. That was Kubiak’s first year as Seahawks offensive coordinator.

Therefore, it’s totally feasible for the Darnold-Fleury partnership to have success right off the bat.

Walder predicts Darnold won’t be a Seahawk by 2028

Seth Walder went a step further, predicting that Darnold will not be on the Seahawks in 2028. He notes the prediction centers around the fact Darnold started last season red hot and finished fairly strong during Seattle’s Super Bowl run, he ranked 27th out of 30 quarterbacks in QBR from Weeks 10 to 18.

That’s intriguing to read, especially when considering the Seahawks were going through some change over that stretch of the season. They added Rashid Shaheed and were trying to work him into the offense. He also faced a difficult defensive schedule during that period, including the Rams twice, 49ers, and Vikings. Case in point: Six of Darnold’s nine interceptions from Weeks 10-18 came against the Rams, alone. some other top contending teams. He threw seven touchdowns to two interceptions in the other seven matchups.

Still, Walder’s point stands and it does make sense. However, I don’t necessarily think it’s a guarantee that the mid-season struggles will translate into 2027 and 2028.

Overall, you can see why the Seahawks are ranked where they are. They’re doing everything the right way. And if injury luck continues to play in their favor and they continue to do business the right way, then yes, we will probably be looking at another NFL dynasty in the near future.