The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots were not projected to be in this position before the season began. Few would have predicted that two teams that had missed the playoffs last season would both be in the Super Bowl this season.
In the case of both the Seahawks and Patriots, they are far different teams than they were last year. John Schneider and Eliot Wolf, respectively, went to work on changing the foundations of their teams to get themselves into this position.
Through the draft and especially free agency, both teams laid the foundation for one of them to be crowned champions.
Opening the Checkbook
Over the offseason, both the Seahawks and Patriots realized they would have to spend money to improve their teams, and they ended up landing in the top five in free-agent spending. The Patriots spent the most, and the Seahawks spent the fourth-most.
According to Spotrac, overall, the Patriots signed 19 players for a total of $364,370,000, and the Seahawks. The Seahawks signed 16 players for a total of $205,632,500.
The Patriots rebuilt their defense through free agency. The largest commitment is to defensive lineman Milton Williams, with a four-year, $104 million contract. Additionally, the team signed veteran defensive players Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, and Harold Landry. On offense, they gave Drake Maye a number one wide receiver in Stefon Diggs at a price tag of three years and $63.5 million.
As far as the Seahawks, the team’s most significant move in free agency was signing quarterback Sam Darnold after trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Darnold signed a three-year, $105 million contract. The team also signed Cooper Kupp to replace DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and give Darnold another weapon. On defense, the major addition was signing former Dallas Cowboys star Demarcus Lawrence to a three-year, $32 million deal.
Many thought that after missing the playoffs, the Seahawks were rebuilding, but general manager John Schneider had a different vision.
Always Competing
The Seahawks, with a second-year head coach, a largely unproven quarterback, and after trading away their number one wide receiver, had a lot up in the air before the season began. Their free-agent frenzy and roster turnover led people to believe the team was more focused on building a foundation than on competing for a championship.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider dispelled that notion almost immediately after the Seahawks signed their key free agents in March of last year. Speaking at his press conference after the signings, Schneider reiterated that the Seahawks were always trying to compete for a title. John Boyle of Seahawks.com wrote about Schneider explaining what to expect from the team this season.
“It’s competing,” Schneider said when asked about the perception some might have that the team is rebuilding. “I sound like Pete (Carroll) right there, but it’s the truth. We’re competing in every aspect of what we’re doing every single day. We’re not saying this player is better than that player, it’s all this huge piece with salaries and scheme fits and people wanting to be here and people not wanting to be here. So you just have to be able to continue to pivot. We didn’t just make those moves to chill, we’re going for it, we’re fighting every day.”
On Sunday, two teams built through free agency will square off, and one team will walk away with the ultimate payoff.
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