Back in 2015, Marshawn Lynch turned Super Bowl Media Day on its head with just one line: “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” It was peak Marshawn. But two years before that, he was also the only healthy Seahawk to skip OTAs — no excuse, no explanation. Pete Carroll tried to shrug it off, saying, “This is voluntary,” while confirming Lynch was training elsewhere.

However, Seattle, even in its Legion of Boom heyday, had a rep for skipping the spring. Michael Bennett stayed back in Hawaii. Bruce Irvin sat out. Marshawn? He’d not show up at the OTAs if he was not required to. It was just part of how things were — the team would come together eventually, just not in June.

But that old dynamic? It’s dead. The 2025 Seahawks are rewriting the code. Now, every single player on Mike Macdonald’s 90-man roster has shown up for voluntary OTAs. Veterans, rookies, new additions, backups: all of them! Jason Myers (34) and Johnathan Hankins (33), the two oldest players on the team, are here.

Leonard Williams, fresh off his $64.5M deal? Here, jogging onto the field like it’s midseason. Even DeMarcus Lawrence, entering Year 12 after a decade with the Cowboys, showed up to work alongside young guns like Boye Mafe and Derick Hall. These are not rookies fighting for roster spots. These are vets who’ve earned the right to skip. And yet, they didn’t.

Meanwhile, that speaks to one thing: Mike Macdonald. Hired at 36 and already through one season as Seattle’s head coach, Macdonald has created something rare. Well, at least, something Seattle did not often see. A full buy-in from top to bottom. And it’s not just showing up for optics. Defensive anchor Ernest Jones IV, who got a $33 million extension in March, was blunt about it: “If we want to be who we say we’re going to be… OTAs were really good.”

But this wasn’t a player-mandated attendance check. As Jones put it, “It wasn’t something that we just sat there and say, ‘Hey, make sure you’re here.’” It was culture. Quiet, collective, deliberate. Just a group that believes in the mission. And shows up.

Mike Macdonald has clear goals for the Seahawks in 2025

Mike Macdonald didn’t bother sugarcoating it. He wants more from his defense. After finishing 12th in scoring last year, the Seahawks’ head coach laid down the challenge: “We want it to be more seamless. We understand there’s a lot of expectations on that side [defense].” As he made it clear during the league meetings. Seattle’s defense isn’t just here to compete. It’s here to climb. Top-10 or bust.

However, the numbers back up that confidence. Seattle’s defense found its stride post-Week 10, allowing just 18.3 points per game down the stretch. That’s a much-needed shift. Macdonald acknowledged as much: “I feel like we ended the year with some momentum.” Momentum he now wants to turn into a permanent state of play. Not “almosts.”

But why should you believe it’s actually possible? For starters, nearly the entire defense is back. Re-signing both Ernest Jones IV and Jarran Reed gave Seattle its backbone. Only two names walked—Rayshawn Jenkins and Dre’Mont Jones. And Dre’Mont? Replaced by none other than DeMarcus Lawrence. Not exactly a downgrade. Continuity like this doesn’t just happen. It’s built with purpose. And Macdonald, known for his defensive scheming in Baltimore, knows how to take that core and make it mean something.

So what happens if the Seahawks don’t hit the top 10? According to Macdonald’s tone and track record, that’d be a setback. Not failure. But definitely a step off the mark. And with a roster this aligned—and expectations set this high—anything outside the top tier will feel like a missed assignment. Seahawks fans have seen bend-but-don’t-break. Macdonald’s aiming for don’t-bend-at-all.