The 2023 Seattle Seahawks entered the season with legitimate wind in their sails after 2022's highly improbable playoff run. General manager John Schneider spent the spring loading up on talent, reuniting with franchise legend Bobby Wagner on a one-year deal, securing safety Julian Love and defensive end Dre'Mont Jones in free agency, and adding guard Evan Brown to stabilize the offensive line. To top it off, they used Denver's high draft capital to select cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall and grabbed receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba at twentieth. Yet, instead of building on that momentum, the Seahawks spent the year treadmilling. Pete Carroll’s squad matched their previous year's 9-8 record but finished a disappointing third in the NFC West. This time, the tiebreakers did not fall in their favor, and they missed the postseason - bringing a quiet, bittersweet end to the legendary 14-year Carroll era in Seattle.

Offensively, the Seahawks operated as a pass-first but mediocre unit, finishing 17th in points scored (21.4 ppg) and twenty-first in total yards. Geno Smith missed two games with injuries but still threw for 3,624 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions over 15 starts, showcasing a late-game clutch gene with five game-winning drives. When Smith was sidelined, Drew Lock stepped in for two starts, keeping the team afloat by going 1-1. On the ground, Kenneth Walker III paced the rushing attack with 905 yards and eight touchdowns, while rookie Zach Charbonnet added a physical element with 462 yards. Through the air, D.K. Metcalf continued to be a physical marvel, averaging nearly 17 yards per reception to finish with 1,114 yards and eight touchdowns. He was flanked by the ever-reliable Tyler Lockett, who caught 79 passes, and the rising rookie Smith-Njigba, who chipped in 63 receptions for 628 yards.

Defensively, Clint Hurtt’s unit was a major concern, surrendering 402 points (23.6 ppg) and 6,313 total yards to rank twenty-fifth and thirtieth in the league, respectively. The run defense was an absolute sieve, yielding 2,352 yards to rank next-to-last in the NFL. Despite those struggles, there were distinct bright spots. Bobby Wagner’s homecoming was a statistical triumph as he led the team with a massive 183 tackles. Rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon was a human highlight reel, recording 16 pass deflections, three sacks, and a breathtaking 97-yard interception return touchdown. Safeties Julian Love, who led the team with four interceptions, and Quandre Diggs patrolled the deep third. Meanwhile, second-year linebacker Boye Mafe paced the pass rush with nine sacks, and midseason trade acquisition Leonard Williams added four more.

The season was full of dramatic, late-game theatre and crushing defensive collapses. After a horrific Week 1 30-13 home loss to the Rams, Seattle rattled off three straight wins, including a thrilling 37-31 overtime victory over the Lions in Detroit. By late October, the team was sitting pretty at 5-2 after a narrow escape against Cleveland. Then came the November buzzsaw. Seattle went on a devastating four-in-five game losing streak, getting dismantled by Baltimore and San Francisco, and dropping a heartbreaker in a 41-35 shootout against Dallas. The turning point of hope arrived on a rainy Monday night in Week 15, when Drew Lock engineered a legendary 92-yard drive to upset the Eagles 20-17. However, just as they recaptured control of their playoff destiny, a flat Week 17 home loss to Pittsburgh sealed their fate.

A dramatic 21-20 road win over the Cardinals in the finale was not enough, as Green Bay secured the final wild card spot via tiebreakers, leaving the 9-8 Seahawks on the outside looking in. This near-miss closed the book on the most successful coaching tenure in franchise history, as Pete Carroll was removed from his head coaching role shortly after the season’s end. While the team missed the tournament, individual accolades remained, with Smith, Wagner, Witherspoon, Love, Metcalf, and special teams ace Nick Bellore earning Pro Bowl nods. The 2023 season went down as a year of transition, showcasing flashes of a bright future with Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba, while signaling the definitive end of the era that defined modern Seattle football.