Experts Pessimistic About Seattle Seahawks 2024 Prospects

The Seattle Seahawks are entering a new era with head coach Mike Macdonald and the experts don't see them making the playoffs in 2024.

Mar 26, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald speaks to the media / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks had talented actor Chris Pratt unveil their 2024 schedule on Wednesday night and it got the fan base excited for the new era. Mike Macdonald will usher in the new era by seeing four primetime games in his first season as head coach.

Now that the schedule has been released, we can completely shift our focus toward the season and predicting how it might turn out. How will the new era of Seahawks football begin? Can the Seahawks make it back to the playoffs?

Jan 7, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks on after / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

After the schedule gets released, there are a multitude of reaction pieces breaking it all down. One of those is experts picking each teams' record. How do they think the Seahawks fare in 2024?

Eric D. Williams, Fox Sports: 7-10

The Seahawks regularly log among the most miles in the league, and that will be the case again in 2023. Seattle will travel 25,797 miles this season for the team's eight road games, third-most in the NFL. The Seahawks have an improved roster and should be better defensively, but with new head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff at the beginning stages of creating a new culture, there will be growing pains. The Seahawks finished 7-9 in Pete Carroll's first two seasons as head coach. Expect a similar showing in Macdonald's first year.

- Eric D. Williams

Marcus Mosher, The 33rd Team: 7-10

It will be strange not to see Pete Carroll roaming the sidelines in Seattle, but the Seattle Seahawks landed Macdonald to replace him.

Seattle is in the middle of a mini-rebuild, and the franchise’s direction is uncertain. But expect Geno Smith and the rest of the offense to keep the Seahawks competitive for most of the season.

- Marcus Mosher

Maurice Moton, Bleacher Report: 7-10

This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks made changes to their coaching staff. They moved Pete Carroll to the front office and replaced him with first-time head coach Mike Macdonald, who served as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator over the last two years.

In both 2022 and 2023, Macdonald fielded a top-three scoring defense. In Seattle, he'll work with a talented unit that includes rookie first-rounder Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams and 2023 first-rounder Devon Witherspoon.

Though Macdonald may be able to strengthen the Seahawks' bottom-eight defense from the last season, Seattle has question marks on the other side of the ball.

New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who served in the same role at the University of Washington over the past two seasons, doesn't have NFL play-calling experience. Can Grubb design an offense that elevates quarterback Geno Smith and his playmakers?

Smith earned his second Pro Bowl nod last year, but his touchdown rate and passing yards per game dropped off from the 2022 campaign. At times, wide receiver DK Metcalf let his frustrations with the offense boil over on the field.

The Seahawks' decision to reboot the coaching staff may lead to growing pains on offense and close losses early in the season before Smith and Co. find their groove.

- Maurice Moton