The five most valuable people for the Seattle Seahawks in 2024

After back-to-back 9-8 seasons the Seattle Seahawks are starting a new era this year with head coach Mike Macdonald taking over. He figures to be one of the most important people in the organization as it tries to get back to the playoffs in a tough NFC West, but he is not the only person who is going to matter this season.

Here are the five most valuable people for the Seattle Seahawks during the 2024 NFL season.

5. Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf

Even though Metcalf's number of catches dropped by 24 in 2023 (going from 90 to 66), he still gained more yards (1,114 from 1,048), scored more touchdowns (eight from six) and recorded more first downs (52 from 47). He is one of the best big-play wide receivers in football, is still in the prime of his career and should be in line for another monster season as part of a Seahawks offense that is loaded with talent at the skill positions.

4. Head coach Mike Macdonald

Even though the Seahawks regressed in a consistent state of mediocrity toward the end of his tenure, Pete Carroll was still one of the most successful head coaches in the NFL over the past 15 years. Macdonald is going to have some awfully big shoes to fill in taking over for him. He not only has to bring in a fresh vision and approach, but he also has to use his defensive background to help fix a unit that has been one of the league's worst the past two seasons.

3. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon

Helping Macdonald fix that defense will be the development of Witherspoon, a second-year cornerback who is coming off an outstanding rookie season that saw him earn a Pro Bowl selection. His 16 pass defenses were five more than any other player on the team last year, and he has a chance to be even better this season if he can avoid some of the injuries that limited him at times during his rookie season.

2. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams

The Seahawks added Williams via an in-season trade during the 2023 season and he made an immediate impact on the defensive line, adding a much-needed pass-rushing spark and disruptive presence. He impressed the team so much that he ended up getting a massive contract extension and now figures to be one of the focal points of its defense. Having him for a full season could be the type of game-changing presence the Seahawks need on their line to fix a defense that has ranked 25th in the NFL in points against the past two seasons.

1. Quarterback Geno Smith

In most cases, the quarterback is going to be the most valuable person for almost every team in the NFL, and Seattle is no exception. Whether or not Smith is the quarterback who can lead Seattle back to Super Bowl contention remains to be seen, but he has done enough to warrant holding onto the starting job. He might not win a lot of games on his own, but he is also not going to lose many either. Smith he has been one of the league's best quarterbacks at protecting the football (just 20 interceptions over the past two seasons combined). He has a lot of talent to work with around him and needs to put it to good use.