NFL Insider Makes Bold Claim About the 2025 Seattle Seahawks
Seattle brought in Sam Darnold to replace Smith, and cutting ties with Metcalf was surprising, as with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, they could have been a tough combo for teams to defend for another season. Those moves are paying off seven weeks into the season. One NFL insider, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated, thinks the Seahawks are a dangerous team because of those moves.
Seattle’s New Roster Makes Them a Dangerous Team
It could be easy to second-guess the moves at the time, but Darnold has been very good with the Seahawks through seven games. He has thrown for 1,754 yards, 12 touchdowns, four interceptions, with a QBR of 72.5%. As for Smith-Njigba, he leads the NFL with 819 receiving yards on 50 receptions and four touchdowns this season without Metcalf.
“Keeping Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba together looks great on paper, but it didn’t make much financial sense to retain a disgruntled receiver looking for a pay raise while knowing that the emerging young wideout will soon cash in after a breakout Year 2. The Seahawks gained cap-space flexibility, a few draft picks, and paved the way for JSN to be a superstar after shipping Metcalf to Pittsburgh,” wrote Manzano.
As for swapping Darnold for Smith, it is a move right now that has been one of the more underrated moves of the offseason.
”Swapping in Sam Darnold for Smith has also paid off, with the former playing better than his lone season in Minnesota and the latter struggling in his Las Vegas reunion with Carroll. All these correct decisions from Schneider and Macdonald were on full display for Monday night’s late game, with the Seahawks cruising against the Texans,
Tough Road Ahead For Seahawks After Bye
Seattle enters their bye tied with the SanFrancisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams atop the NFC West at 5-2. They lost at home to the 49ers in Week 1, 17-13, and have yet to play the Rams. They will visit Los Angeles on November 16 and host them on December 18 on a Thursday night. The Seahawks close out the season at San Francisco on January 4.
There is a lot to still be determined between now and Week 18. After the bye, Seattle plays the Washington Commanders on November 2 for Sunday Night Football.
“Seattle hasn’t played the Rams yet and fell to the 49ers at home during the season opener. Maybe it’s safer to wait a few weeks before saying the Seahawks were right about their offseason decisions, but it’s difficult to not shower them with praise with how well Smith-Njigba has played with his new quarterback and play-caller. Moving on from Ryan Grubb and hiring Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator is another swift, bold decision that has paid off for Macdonald,” Manzano wrote.
There is no doubt that Seattle’s offense is thriving with the offseason moves. Smith-Njigba is establishing himself as one of the top receivers and playmakers in the NFL with what he’s doing without Metcalf. There is still a lot of football left in the season, but right now, it’s hard not to argue that if they stay healthy that they are a threat in the NFC come postseason time.
What hit crying Brad Marchand ‘like a ton of bricks’ in Boston return? He's heartfelt message to Boston after Panthers take down Bruins
Panthers veteran Brad Marchand had a perfect night in his return to Boston, and the Bruins' tribute to him was the cherry on top.
Regardless of how things ended between Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins, the now-Florida Panthers forward will always have a soft spot for the city he called home for 15 seasons. There were expectations that the welcome Marchand would receive in his return to Boston on Tuesday night was going to be special, and they didn't disappoint.
Marchand's emotions came pouring out when the Bruins gave him a beautiful tribute at the game's first television timeout. It featured a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd, and chants of “Marchy, Marchy,” as they did when he made a big play over the past 15 seasons. Marchand's departure didn't go down as the captain would've liked, but this tribute certainly made up for it.
“As soon as I saw my kids on the screen, it kind of hit like a ton of bricks,” Marchand said after the Panthers' win. “The memories. The emotions of everything. The years and the incredible times. It just kind of comes pouring into your memory. It's just crazy to see.”
It was easy for Marchand to get lost in the whirlwind of what transpired last season. He was rehabbing an injury when the Bruins traded him to the Panthers, and by the time he was ready to return, Florida was in the middle of their second consecutive Stanley Cup run. Tuesday night offered him a chance to tie a bow on his Bruins' career.
“There's a lot of things I forget. The years all bunch together. Careers go by fast. It doesn't matter how long you're in it — it goes by extremely fast. To see a snapshot of that in a clip like that, it brings everything back, and the amount of pride that I had — that I have — that I played here and in this organization, I just couldn't hold it in.”
In classic Marchand fashion, he made a direct impact on the Panthers' win over his old team. He had two assists, drew a penalty that Florida eventually scored on, and took two penalty minutes of his own. It was a fitting way for Brad Marchand to pay his own tribute to what he did for 15 years in Black and Gold.
Brad Marchand’s heartfelt message to Boston after Panthers take down Bruins
“I was trying not to cry,” he admitted afterwards, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. “That was what I was trying to do. And then, as soon as I saw my kids on the screen, it hit like a ton of bricks. Just the memories and the emotions of everything, just the years and the years and the incredible times. It just kind of came pouring into your memory.”
Marchand continued: “I always loved playing here and loved putting the jersey on and wearing my heart on my sleeve. This is a hardworking city and people appreciate that. I love the fans here. They’re special. They’re an incredible group.”
Although it was widely expected that Marchand would finish his career as a Bruin, he was unable to negotiate a contract extension last season with the front office. Instead, he was traded to the Panthers ahead of the deadline, the team that had knocked Boston out of back-to-back postseasons.
It must have been bittersweet for fans of the franchise to watch Marchand — a heart and soul forward by every definition of the word — win a championship with a bitter division rival.
But after everything the Nova Scotia native has given to the city of Boston throughout his career, he earned all of the love he received on Tuesday night.
