The 2025 NFL season has officially wrapped up. While Jets fans endured a week-to-week horror show, the year ended on a somewhat sweet note as the Seahawks dismantled the Jets’ arch-rival New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Sure, it was bittersweet watching Sam Darnold finally accomplish what many hoped he would eight years ago in New York. But at the end of the day, the consensus was clear: anyone but the Patriots.
Now, as the Jets head into another critical offseason, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at what they might learn from Seattle’s incredible season and Super Bowl run.
Lesson 1: Defense still matters… a lot
A popular sentiment over the last few years is that today’s NFL is all about offense. While that’s true to an extent, the importance of defense feels like it’s been oddly minimized.
Seattle’s defense absolutely dominated what was considered an elite New England offense led by an MVP-caliber quarterback. And this wasn’t a one-off performance. Seattle’s defense overwhelmed teams all season long, finishing #1 in EPA per play allowed and #1 in DVOA.
This also marks the second straight year that the top defense in DVOA has won the Super Bowl (Philadelphia did it in 2024). Zooming out even further, the trend becomes hard to ignore. Throughout the 2020s, every Super Bowl winner but one (the 2022 Chiefs, who fielded a historically great offense) ranked inside the top seven defensively by DVOA. Every championship defense was at least above average. And outside of Brady- or Mahomes-led teams, you have to go back more than a decade to find a Super Bowl winner without a top-five defense.
This isn’t an argument that defense matters more than offense. You almost certainly need to be good at both. But elite defenses have pushed back hard in recent years and have outright taken over seasons.
What makes Seattle especially interesting is that they don’t rely on overwhelming star power. Instead, they’re loaded with very good defensive players across the roster. Which brings us to the next lesson….
Lesson 2: Defense can rebuild… quickly
Not long ago, Seattle’s defense looked uncomfortably familiar to one we just watched as Jets fans.
Before the Mike Macdonald hire, this Seahawks unit (still coasting on the long-gone Legion of Boom reputation) was flat-out bad. In 2023, the defense bottomed out, finishing 30th in EPA/play allowed and 28th in DVOA. They played a lot of young players and no matter how you slice it, they stunk.
Then came Macdonald.
In 2024, Seattle jumped to 10th in DVOA and 10th in EPA/play allowed. One year later, they had become one of the most dominant defensive units the league has seen in recent memory.
Macdonald deserves plenty of credit, but the turnaround wasn’t entirely just about coaching. Seattle made a series of sharp personnel decisions that added up quickly.
Devon Witherspoon blossomed into a star early, but they smartly supplemented around him. Julian Love was a Giants cast-off signed to a modest two-year, $12 million deal who steadily improved. Tyrice Knight was a 4th-round pick in 2024. Nick Emmanwori came via the 2nd round in 2025. Players like Coby Bryant (4th round, 2022) and Boye Mafe (2nd round, 2022) took real steps forward after being merely average to mediocre early on. A solid veteran addition like DeMarcus Lawrence paid dividends.
This was very much a sum-of-its-parts defense. Not built around three or four superstars, but stocked with depth through the draft and free agency. Once Macdonald took over play-calling, the younger talent flourished.
While the Jets are still searching for an answer at quarterback, they do have draft capital and cap space. Seattle’s blueprint shows that pouring resources into depth (rather than chasing a couple of splashy names) can completely flip a defense in a hurry.
Lesson 3: A QB’s surroundings matter immensely if you don’t have an elite one
This is a lesson the Jets seem determined to ignore.
To be clear, Sam Darnold has improved since leaving New York. He’s more consistent and more comfortable. But some of the narrative around his breakout is overblown. Darnold has always been a talented quarterback who desperately needed help.
He wasn’t the engine of this Seahawks team. He finished 3rd in interceptions and 18th in Total QBR. He was good enough though and then the supporting cast did the heavy lifting.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba exploded into a bonafide elite receiver. The offensive line ranked 12th in pass-block win rate and 8th in run-block win rate, widely viewed as a well-above-average unit. Seattle built legitimate depth at pass catcher, finishing #2 in the league in PFF receiving grades as a team. They paired that with two strong running backs who combined for the top PFF rushing grade in the league. And all of this was guided by a good play-caller.
For two straight seasons now, we’ve seen flawed quarterbacks pilot strong offenses because of the talent around them.
If you don’t have an elite quarterback, the formula is clear: protect him with a strong offensive line, give him quality receivers, back him up with a great defense to control game scripts, and hire a play-caller who knows what he’s doing. You’ll be more than fine.
For the first time in years, the Jets might actually be positioned to attempt this approach. They have foundational offensive linemen and Garrett Wilson. The question is whether they’ll finally show the patience and discipline to build around that core.
Conclusion
Seattle’s Super Bowl win should be a clear lesson for the Jets as they head into another offseason.
Championship teams aren’t always built by chasing the biggest name in free agency. By attacking roster depth through smart drafting, calculated free-agent signings, and quality coaching, teams can win even without the traditional star-studded profile of past champions.
Now we wait to see if the Jets learn anything at all.