Nobody envisioned the Seattle Seahawks being among the NFL’s best teams in 2025.

After what they did to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, this dominant group will never be forgotten.

It may seem as if a team like the New York Jets will never be able to replicate what the Seahawks did this year. They don’t have a quarterback, their defense is a mess, and their offense lacks difference-makers.

As the 2026 offseason begins, though, there’s a path for the Jets to be much better than people expect… so long as they follow this five-step plan.

How the Seahawks can influence Jets’ offseason plans

New York has all the resources it needs to rebuild their team rather quickly over the next two seasons. Five first-round picks, over $70 million in cap space, and a stable offensive line are much more than most rebuilding teams have to work with.

If the Jets can find a way to knock off each item on this list, the team could very well find itself in a Seahawks-like turnaround within the next few years.

5. Invest in the defensive line

The last two Super Bowls have been won in absolute blowouts.

The common denominator of each winner? Their front four overwhelmed the opposition.

Philadelphia destroyed Kansas City without blitzing once. Seattle rolled through New England with a 13% blitz rate.

Arguably, the biggest mistake of the Joe Douglas era in New York was blowing up the team’s defensive line with trades and free agent decisions. It ultimately cost him his job and set the organization back.

The Jets must learn from that mistake this season. Investing in the defensive line separates good teams from Super Bowl winners.

4. Become multiple

Do you know why a coach like Robert Saleh has not won a Super Bowl as a head coach or defensive coordinator?

Everyone knows what he’s going to run and when he’s going to run it.

Saleh’s Cover 3 alignment has made him one of the best defensive minds in football. He’s helped the San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl and even had the Jets ranked in the top five multiple times.

His inability to adapt, though, remains a thorn in his side.

New York must learn from that. Adhering to a specific style of coverage on defense limits the confusion it can create for opposing quarterbacks. They must be multiple in coverage and front to match up well with modern offenses.

It won’t be about a 4-3 or 3-4 alignment. It’s about adjusting schemes to fit the matchup of the week, and figuring out a way to schematically overwhelm the opposition.

3. Address clear needs out wide

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. But he didn’t have the kind of Super Bowl performance many expected. New England did a good job of taking him away.

Of course, it didn’t really matter. Seattle still moved the ball effectively through the air when they needed to. Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, and AJ Barner all played important roles in the passing offense in Super Bowl LX.

That’s another key lesson for the Jets.

They cannot rely on Garrett Wilson to be their only source of offense. They must have a multitude of competent, consistent pass catchers to make it harder for defenses to stop them.

2. Find balance between coach and player dependency

Which is more important in the modern NFL: scheme or players? Either side of the debate certainly has a point.

No one would question Sean McVay’s brilliance as an offensive mind, but he still had an ugly 5-12 record in 2022 after the Rams experienced an exodus of talent.

The Eagles are one of the more talented teams in the league, but their star power meant little on the stat sheet in 2025, as they had one of their worst offensive seasons in recent memory.

So which is it? Did the Rams coaching staff suddenly get bad for one lone season? Was Kevin Patullo the main reason for Philly’s demise in 2025?

The reality is that the top teams in the NFL have the perfect balance of quality coaching and top players. Coaches who put their talent in the best position to succeed, and those same players performing above their heads, are key ingredients to building a contender.

Over the years, the Jets have always been missing at least one of those two parts. That must be changed if their current 15-year playoff drought is to end.

1. Become QB-proof

You do not need a top-five quarterback in the NFL to win the Super Bowl. That much was evident as the Seahawks, with their quarterback completing just half of his passes, dominated a Patriots defense that was allowing single-digit points per game in the playoffs.

Seattle ran the ball for over 150 yards while their defense forced three turnovers. Sam Darnold is a terrific story in the league now, but he still completed just 50% of his passes in the Super Bowl, while leading the NFL with 20 turnovers in the regular season. Still, his team cruised to a two-score victory on the biggest stage.

New York’s lesson here is simple: They need a quarterback-proof roster. They must have a coaching staff that can win regardless of who is throwing the football.

The Jets aren’t going to be able to get a top-five quarterback in free agency or the draft this year. If they want to be competitive, they must build a roster that won’t need an elite quarterback to carry it.

Seattle proved this model can be achieved at a championship-caliber level.