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Patriots Meet Seahawks, Again

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SANTA CLARA – Call it a comeback. And better make it two.

Super Bowl LX sets up as a repeat of two recent NFL championship teams colliding Sunday on the home field of another NFL champion, the San Francisco 49ers.

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It’s a repeat of Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015 that swung from a Seattle Seahawks celebration to a confirmation of the New England Patriots’ dynasty when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson pass at the goal line with 20 seconds left.

“It hasn’t come up one time,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of the Super Bowl rematch.

Almost everything has changed on both sidelines in the decade since that game. Neither team was even in the playoff field last season.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft called a leadership audible and restored the championship standard in New England, placing three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel atop the organization pecking order, and the new head coach guided a stunning turnaround in 2025.

Vrabel, a former linebacker under Bill Belichick, has resurrected the franchise and partnered with the second-youngest Super Bowl starting quarterback ever, 23-year-old Drake Maye, to move New England to the doorstep of a league-record seventh Lombardi Trophy.

“The organization has set a standard,” Vrabel said. “The Patriots organization, Robert and Jonathan (Kraft), have set a standard for this organization that this is what the expectation is. We understand that, we embrace that.”

Seattle shifted from Pete Carroll at the end of the 2024 season, and longtime general manager John Schneider restocked in tandem with Macdonald, 38. The second-year coach and defensive-minded mad scientist won 14 games in the 2025 regular season, earning the top seed in the NFC with reclamation project Sam Darnold starring in the vast shadow of Seattle’s sledgehammer defense.

Darnold threw 25 touchdown passes in his first season with the Seahawks. He opposes Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft, who produced numbers once expected of another famous Patriots passer with a fully stocked ring finger. Maye finished ahead of Darnold in most passing categories. He had 31 touchdown passes, 4,394 yards and a league-leading 113.5 passer rating with a pair of rookies starting on the left side of a fully revamped offensive line.

Maye has harped on running the ball, and Vrabel continues to preach balance in the long preamble to Super Bowl LX. But numbers could set up in Seattle’s favor.

The Seahawks have a streak of 28 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher and big plays are a pipe dream — only 15 plays of 20-plus yards — because of the speed and versatility of the back seven and the ability of Macdonald to generate pressure with his front four. They were stingy on first down and excelled on third down, when the crosshairs are largely centered on the pocket.

New England had allowed Maye to be sacked 15 times in the playoffs.

“We’ve got to stay connected,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “It’s kind of like synchronized swimming. If one of them is different than the other, you usually have a bad play. We’re going to be put to the test. They will twist and stunt, a really violent team.”

Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams is a terror inside, and six Seattle defenders have at least 40 QB pressures. Williams leads the team with 65 followed by DeMarcus Lawrence with 58. While Seattle’s dynamic personnel and playmaking mix is getting headlines, the Seahawks were far from flawless in 2025. They allowed 27 points to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game and needed an offensive explosion to edge the same team 38-37 in the regular season.

McDaniels said he’s not afraid of leaning on his young players. He recalled being in the press box as an assistant coach in the 2001 season when a young Tom Brady made his Super Bowl debut and beat the St. Louis Rams.

“That was a great example of a young player being put in a situation where (coaches) could have let the game go to overtime,” Daniels said. “Those are the types of situations players live for. Drake has had to deal with those types of circumstances this season, and we’ve only gotten his best football.”

Maye registered 11 multiple-TD games in the 2025 regular season. He has taken only one loss since Sept. 21, compiling a 16-1 record since then. Maye leads the Darnold, 29, in career postseason wins, and their combined five playoff victories were all collected last month.

Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the league with 1,793 passing yards and was the target of 163 of Darnold’s 477 passes in the regular season. He logged 119 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Smith-Njigba had 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game. On film, Vrabel is still hunting for a major weakness.

“Sudden, savvy, competitive,” Vrabel said. “Really good play strength for his stature. He’s really good at contested catches. Good route craft and understanding in zone and man. Great body control.”

Maye insisted Wednesday his shoulder was fine after being limited last week. He was in Levi’s Stadium the last time it hosted the Super Bowl — February 2016, when the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers — and the Patriots played at San Francisco last season. He said the preparation for the Super Bowl is mostly a normal week with a bonus hotel stay and practice at a foreign facility. Ah, youngsters.

“It’s such a cool moment to be out here with the guys and the teammates,” Maye said. “A chance to enjoy the moment together. The emotions will be a little bit higher on game day.”

Vrabel’s Super Bowl experience has been a common talking point in the Patriots’ makeshift camp at the San Jose Marriott and Stanford University this week. Veteran defensive players such as cornerback Carlton Davis III (Tom Brady’s teammate for Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl win to cap the 2020 season) and defensive tackle Milton Williams (a winner with the Eagles 12 months ago) are helping keep younger players and newbies like 32-year-old wide receiver Stefon Diggs from emotional exhaustion with all of the pomp and circumstance on the Super Bowl periphery this week.

“His maturation process is second to none. One of the best I’ve ever seen from a quarterback position,” Diggs said of Maye’s calm. “He’s still super young, which is crazy. He’s had a lot of success, but as I have grown closer to him, I’m a huge fan of him. He’s like a mini inspiration. To be that young, be that mature and be able to play at a high level is something that I always wanted when I was a young player. I’m just happy to be a part of this thing.”

As expected with another defense-first head coach, Seattle also stresses the running game. Kenneth Walker III led the team with 1,027 rushing yards in the regular season, and he has added 178 yards and four touchdowns in two playoff games.

For the Patriots, Rhamondre Stevenson was second to rookie speedster TreVeyon Henderson in rushing in the regular season, but Stevenson climbed out of Vrabel’s doghouse — where he landed due to three fumbles — to lead the NFL in rushing in the playoffs with 194 yards on 51 carries.

“We’re always looking to find balance in our offense because you become more difficult to defend if the defense has to defend run-pass on every series in every situation,” McDaniels said.

The Patriots finished the season sixth in the NFL in rushing with 128.9 yards per game after ranking 31st the first month of the season. Maye has been a problem for front sevens in the playoffs because of his mobility. Seattle can use rookie safety Nick Emmanwori as a spy to keep Maye’s speed in check, but the Patriots know there are counters to that kind of chess move.

“There are weak spots in every coverage,” Maye said.

New England’s interior defensive line tandem of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, self-described QB predators, present a hurdle for Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak finding a comfort zone for Darnold. Seattle rookie left guard Grey Zabel will be vital in making the mission possible.

“Me and him, we come in hungry. We’re like lions. We come to hunt,” Barmore said. “And the whole D-line. Our goal is to dominate every time we’re out there. It doesn’t matter who it is, another day to line up and kick ass.”

Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks last March. He hasn’t played for the same team or play-caller since 2022, his second year with the Carolina Panthers, when Baker Mayfield was named the starter. Darnold, the third pick in the 2018 draft, is on his fifth team but playing his finest football. However, he led all quarterbacks in turnovers — six fumbles lost, 14 interceptions — opening the door to doubts about his performance this week.

Darnold said his oblique strain, an issue that crept up before the divisional playoffs, is vastly improved with the two-week break between conference title games and the Super Bowl. He said he is not in the mindset of proving anyone wrong by winning Sunday.

“All of the hard work and dedication leads to this moment,” Darnold said.

– Field Level Media

Drake Maye “Feeling Good” in Palo Alto

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PALO ALTO – (Staff, Pro Footbal Writers and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice as on-field preparations for Super Bowl LX against Seattle shifted gears.

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The second-year quarterback, who injured his right shoulder during the AFC championship game, took all of the team’s first-team reps during a 90-minute practice at Stanford Stadium. He had told reporters earlier in the week that he was “feeling good” and that certainly appeared to be the case as the team worked through seven-on-seven and full-squad drills in full shoulder pads.

While the team installed much of its game plan during practices last week in Foxborough, head coach Mike Vrabel said his staff saved several elements of that plan so they would have new information to present to players in meetings and practices here in the Bay Area. This was a suggestion from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is coaching in his 10th Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots’ staff.

“No one has more experience than Josh with this, and he felt like that we needed to do something to keep them engaged and stimulated, so they weren’t looking at some things for the second or third time,” Vrabel said.

Vrabel is taking that engagement literally. After practice ended, Vrabel pulled a group of interior defensive linemen aside for extra instruction. Vrabel even got down into a three-point stance to work with defensive tackle Cory Durden on pass rush technique.

“We’re now talking about 36 hours being critical here, before people come in, friends and obligations that come with this game,” Vrabel said.

Team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft arrived at Stanford with legendary Patriots receiver Julian Edelman. Like McDaniels, those three men are quite familiar with the Super Bowl preparation process, but it’s all new for most of Vrabel’s squad. No Patriot remains on the roster from their last Super Bowl and only five players on the current roster have prior Super Bowl experience.

“We’ve got some things to clean up, and then we’ve got to forge ahead,” Vrabel said. “We want to continue to keep the energy and the enthusiasm, but the execution is going to end up really helping us win the game.”

Maye was listed on the team’s first injury report with the shoulder, but as a full participant. Linebacker Robert Spillane was the only Patriots player who did not participate as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in the AFC title game in Denver. Linebacker Harold Landry was listed as a limited participant with a knee injury. Other players listed on the injury report were backup offensive lineman Thayer Munford Jr. (limited, knee) and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (full participant, hamstring.) Farmer remains on the injured reserved list but has been designed to return.

–Pro Football Writers of America

Super Bowl LX: Seahawks’ Safety Nick Emmanwori Limited

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SAN JOSE – (Wire Service Report) – The Seattle Seahawks opened Super Bowl week Wednesday with their first and only padded practice of the week before the game. The Seahawks players took the practice field at San Jose State for 1 hour and 50 minutes, starting at 2:15 p.m. under a sunny and cloudless sky. It was 73-degrees.

“We had an opportunity to work at a different practice window,” head coach Mike Macdonald said after practice. “Which I thought was great with our guys’ cadence. Lot of spirit. Guys did a great job. We had a great practice.”

Safety Nick Emmanwori was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury that he suffered during practice.

The rookie safety injured his ankle while defending a pass late in practice. He walked off the field on his own shortly before 4 p.m. Several players and coaches went over to comfort him before he left.

“He had an ankle today, we brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps?” Macdonald said.

Seattle practiced in pads for about an hour before taking them off for the second half of practice.

Macdonald said he reached out to coaches he’d worked with in the past to design the structure for last week and this week of practice. He said the team started installing their game plan last week.

“We’re going to be evolving. We didn’t put the whole thing in last week. We’re just gonna keep building it, stay on cadence this week and do what we need to do to feel like we get to a sweet spot by end of the week.”

Five Seahawks were limited in practice on Wednesday. Left tackle Charles Cross (foot), left tackle Josh Jones (ankle, knee), quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique), fullback Robbie Ouzts (neck) and safety Emmanwori (ankle).

Darnold has been limited in all eight practices since he injured his oblique on Jan. 15.

“Sam’s right on schedule,” Macdonald said. “So we’ve had this plan here over the last X amount of weeks, and it varies every day. And today he had a great day, so we’re right on schedule.”

Six other Seahawks players are on the injury report but practiced in full Wednesday: Tight end Eric Saubert (hamstring), receiver Jake Bobo (hand), fullback Brady Russell (hand), linebacker Ernest Jones IV (chest), safety Julian Love (shoulder), linebacker Drake Thomas (shoulder).

Three players were limited in practice for non-injury rest: linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

Seattle will practice again Thursday at 2:15 p.m. local time.

–Pro Football Writers of America

Oh ‘fer Two at the Hall

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CANTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – “It’s not you, it’s me,” must be the saying in Foxboro. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft did not receive enough votes for selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, ESPN reported Tuesday. Last week, there were confirmed reports that former head coach Bill Belichick, who led the Patriots to nine Super Bowls and six championships over 24 seasons, also is not part of the Class of 2026 to be enshrined in this tiny Ohio town, this summer.

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The new Hall of Fame class will be revealed Thursday night at the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco.

Belichick and Kraft were among the five finalists competing in the same category — contributors, coaches and senior players who last played in 2000 or earlier. Kraft qualified as the contributor finalist and Belichick as the coach.

Former players Roger Craig, Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood filled out the list of finalists and none, one, two or all three can have their names called Thursday. To be selected, a finalist needs 40 of the 50 possible votes. If no one reaches that benchmark, the highest vote-getter becomes a Hall of Fame member.

When news spread of Belichick’s failure to reach the voting minimum, Kraft was among those in the football community who expressed disbelief that Belichick was not selected.

“As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League. He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer,” Kraft said in a statement.

Kraft, 84, purchased the team and its old stadium for $172 million on Jan. 31, 1994. His purchase kept the franchise from being sold and relocated.

Before his ownership, the team had been to the playoffs six times since its founding as the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1960. That includes their 46-10 drubbing by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX after an 11-5 regular season in 1985.

With Kraft and Belichick in charge, the Patriots won the Super Bowls following the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons.

Kraft’s investment in the Patriots was a wise one. In 2025, he sold 8% of the shares in the team for $720 million, giving the team a $9 billion valuation.

Kraft’s Patriots will appear in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in Santa Clara.  A win would give New England a record seventh NFL title in the Super Bowl era, breaking a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

–Field Level Media

Oh là là New Orleans

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SANTA CLARA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NFL will play its first regular-season game in Paris next season with the New Orleans Saints named Monday as one of the participants.

The game will take place at the 80,000-seat Stade de France, France’s national stadium which served as the host site for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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“Bringing a regular season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “Paris is one of the world’s greatest sporting and cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events that unite fans on the biggest stages. Playing our first-ever regular-season game at the impressive Stade de France, together with the New Orleans Saints, underlines our continued global growth ambitions and we look forward to bringing the NFL to our passionate fans in France.”

The Saints have international marketing rights in France, where the NFL claims to have more than 14 million fans.

“This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris,” said Saints team owner Gayle Benson.

Also Monday, the NFL announced it is returning to Madrid in 2026 with a new multi-year agreement.

The league staged its first game in Spain during the 2025 season when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime on Nov. 16.

The game drew 78,610 fans to Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium, which will once again serve as the venue under Monday’s deal.

“It is an honor and a privilege for Real Madrid to host the NFL once again at the Bernabeu stadium,” said Real Madrid director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno. “We experienced a historic first NFL Madrid game a few months ago, and this new agreement will allow the alliance between our club, the Community of Madrid, the City Council and the NFL to continue, strengthening the image of our capital and the Spanish brand around the world.”

The Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and Dolphins have marketing rights in Spain, where the NFL counts 11 million fans.

In addition to Paris and Madrid, the NFL in 2026 will play its first-ever game in Australia in Melbourne with the Los Angeles Rams as one of the participants. There will also be three games in London and one each in Munich, Germany, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

–Field Level Media

Deal or No Deal?

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – The NFL said Sunday that the Seattle Seahawks were not fined for failing to comply with league ownership requirements to sell the team, contrary to a report of a $5 million penalty in the Wall Street Journal.

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“As we told the WSJ yesterday on the record, the team was not fined,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal article on Saturday included the league’s denial as well as the team — through a spokesman for Vulcan, Inc., the late Paul Allen’s company that manages the Seahawks — declining to comment on the fine.

The league and other owners are putting pressure on the trust that has controlled the franchise since owner Allen died in 2018, to sell the Seahawks, according to the article. League rules require controlling ownership be an individual, not a larger entity such as a trust, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

Allen, a Microsoft co-founder who also owned the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, made the stated intention that the teams eventually be sold, with proceeds going to charity. His sister, Jody Allen, is executor of the trust.

Multiple reports on Friday said the Seahawks are up for sale immediately after Super Bowl LX next Sunday, when Seattle faces the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, Calif.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” the Paul G. Allen Estate said in a statement on Friday. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”

The Trail Blazers went on sale in September 2025 and reportedly are being sold for more than $4 billion to a group of investors led by Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.

Paul Allen’s estate does not include a hard deadline to sell the Seahawks, but one term expired in 2024 that would have required 10% of the proceeds to go to the state of Washington.

Per Sportico last summer, the Seahawks were valued at $6.59 billion, in the middle of the pack for NFL teams. Forbes’ December 2024 list of worldwide sports franchise values put the Seahawks in a tie for 24th place with the Los Angeles Dodgers at $5.45 billion.

The latest purchase of an NFL club was the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders in 2023. ESPN cited an anonymous team executive saying the Seahawks could be sold for $7 billion to $8 billion.

The highest-valued sports franchise is the Dallas Cowboys, listed by Sportico at $12.8 billion and by Forbes a year earlier at $10.1 billion.

Paul Allen spent $200 million in 1997 to buy the Seahawks from Ken Behring at a time when there was talk of the team relocating.

–Field Level Media

NFL Network, RedZone Channel – SOLD!

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Will the ghost of John Facenda please report to the SportsCenter set in Bristol?

You’ve been sold.

Government regulators approved ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network, linear rights to the NFL RedZone Channel and other league media assets in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN, the NFL and ESPN announced late Saturday night.

The blockbuster deal was formally announced last August pending reviews by the Justice Department and other non-US antitrust authorities, which are now complete.

“With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead,” ESPN and the NFL said in a joint statement. “As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”

The deal will bring major NFL media properties under the Disney-owned network and expand ESPN’s football offerings across both traditional and streaming platforms.

The National Football League gave up 100% ownership of the NFL Network for 10% of ESPN, which is valued in billions of dollars.

Under the agreement, NFL Network and RedZone will be integrated into ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service while remaining available via cable and satellite. The RedZone brand could translate to a similar offering in other sports to which ESPN has broadcast rights.

NFL Fantasy will merge with ESPN Fantasy, creating the official season-long fantasy platform of the league.

As part of a second agreement between the sides, ESPN will also gain rights to license three additional NFL games per season for 28 total. Seven of those games will be broadcast on NFL Network — these three new ones and four that will shift from ESPN to NFL Network. The NFL doubleheaders on Monday nights will cease, while NFL Network again will have four international games for a total of seven games each season.

The merger does not impact coverage of Super Bowl LX next week, with viewers unlikely to see changes until April at the earliest, when NFL Media employees become part of ESPN.

The NFL will retain ownership of key properties including NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com and the NFL Podcast Network, and will continue producing and distributing the digital version of RedZone independently

–Field Level Media

NFL Salary Cap to $301.2 Million

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – NFL teams were informed on Friday that the 2026 salary cap is projected to increase from 2025’s record ceiling to between $301.2 million and $305.7 million. The new NFL numbers were first reported by the NFL Network, seemingly, a credible source.

This season, clubs each had a limit of $279.2 million, a $23.8 million increase from 2024. The projected number for next season is a boost of more than $20 million and almost $100 million more than the cap of $208.2 million in 2022, when it first crossed the $200 million barrier.

The league’s rise in prosperity and popularity has been reflected in TV rights deals with its broadcast partners and impacted the annual salary cap, which was $120.37 million in 2011.

The cap has risen yearly since 2011, except for 2021 when the league prioritized recovery from the pandemic, including loss of live attendance gate and concessions profits.

–Field Level Media

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To HELL with the HALL

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CANTON – If everyone in the NFL-loving world thought it was going to be, “It’s on to Canton,” they’re wrong. No Pro Football Hall of Fame for former New England Patriots and current University of North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. The Halls of Canton await as it was announced Tuesday that Belichick will not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.

The stunning news comes a week before the Class of 2026 inductees are announced during the “NFL Honors” broadcast on Feb. 5.

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Belichick’s six Super Bowl victories as a head coach are the most in NFL history. He went 266-121 (.687) in his 24 seasons leading the New England Patriots, with an undefeated regular season in 2007. He also won two Super Bowls as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.

Per ESPN, Belichick was informed Friday that he did not reach the threshold of 40 out of 50 votes from the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

Earlier in the process, the hall’s Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee chose Belichick as its sole coach finalist for consideration by the full selection committee. Other coaches on that list included Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan.

A different committee selected Patriots owner Robert Kraft as the finalist from the contributor category.

According to an ESPN report, selection committee member and former Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian told some voters he believed Belichick should “wait a year” before induction as a form of reparation for the Spygate and Deflategate scandals during the Belichick-Tom Brady dynasty years.

Belichick, Polian and the Hall of Fame did not provide comment.

Belichick was a three-time NFL Coach of the Year and named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. With 302 wins as head coach of the Cleveland Browns (1991-95) and Patriots, he ranks third in league history behind Don Shula and George Halas.

The Patriots went 29-38 in Belichick’s last four years in New England once Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won one Super Bowl without Belichick. More recently, Belichick became a college coach for the first time at North Carolina, but his first season was a disastrous 4-8 affair.

–Field Level Media

No Super Handbook for Macdonald

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – The Seattle Seahawks are heading to their fourth Super Bowl since 2006, but neither Mike Holmgren nor Pete Carroll are walking through that door, and, certainly, Rick Pitino “ain’t walking through that door.”

Instead, the job of preparing his team for Super Bowl LX falls to 38-year-old Mike Macdonald in just his second season as a head coach at any level.

Asked Monday what he expects the biggest challenge of the next two weeks to be, Macdonald replied, “It’s easy to say ‘process,’ but the days are gonna look a little bit different. So it’s really the intent behind what we’re trying to do every day. Just staying focused on the things that we can control, because there is so much extra. That comes with the territory. It’s exciting. It’s an opportunity to kind of get it right.”

Macdonald’s Seahawks held off the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in an instant classic NFC Championship Game on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif.

Much of Macdonald’s day-after press conference focused on what comes next. He said the players will have off Tuesday and Wednesday, but they were in the building Monday to discuss logistical things related to the Super Bowl week schedule.

A longtime assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Macdonald said he would soon reach out to his old boss, John Harbaugh, for advice about what’s on the horizon. Macdonald joined Baltimore in 2014, which came after the franchise’s only Super Bowl trip under Harbaugh.

Macdonald also joked that he’s watched about five plays’ worth of New England Patriots tape. There will be ample time for game-planning in the days to come, but Macdonald insisted nothing fundamental should change about the Seahawks’ approach.

“I think one of the differences about how we’ve ran our program this year and the last few years is we don’t have a, ‘Hey, this is the Super Bowl handbook. This is how you handle all the things.’ Our mentality is, ‘Hey, look, we’re all in this together going into this experience and this is how we want to take it day by day and kind of get through all these hurdles, so to speak.’ Those guys will be right along there for the ride and leading the charge.”

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The Seahawks do have one player who knows how to negotiate Super Bowl week and come out a champion on the other side.

When the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, wide receiver Cooper Kupp was voted Most Valuable Player after catching eight passes for 92 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Kupp, 32, shared what he would tell his teammates about handling the distractions and extracurriculars of Super Bowl week.

“You take care of it and then you get ready to play football,” he said. “You’re inserting it into part of your day, but you know that around that stuff, you still gotta go out there and be present, be where your feet are. When it’s time to do the media thing, do the media thing, handle your business, protect the team, then you’re gonna move into football stuff and be where your feet are in that regard.”

Kupp acknowledged “it was cool” for him to beat his former team in the penultimate game of the playoffs. Earlier in the day, a column in The Athletic reported that members of Kupp’s camp believed the Rams badmouthed him in league circles after unceremoniously cutting him after the 2024 season — warning against signing the oft-injured former Offensive Player of the Year for more than the veteran minimum.

The rival Seahawks didn’t listen, inking Kupp, a Washington native, to a three-year contract in March worth $45 million.

“For the story to be what it was, that it had to be through the Rams to be able to get to where we wanted to go, in the NFC championship in that moment, the script writers did a great job with that one.”

–Field Level Media