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Now in the lull between mini-camp and training camp, the Seattle Seahawks’ quest to repeat draws closer and closer. In trying to repeat what the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs previously did and go back-to-back, the Seahawks know this year will require a different formula than last season. 

One person especially familiar with attempting to repeat is Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV.  Jones was a member of the Los Angeles Rams when they won the Super Bowl in 2021. He’s seen firsthand what happens in the aftermath of reaching the mountain top.

The Rams ultimately finished the 2022 season 5-12, with injuries taking out key players throughout the year and the team struggling mightily. Now, Jones is explaining why this year with the Seahawks defending will be different. 

Mindset 

The Seahawks are coming into this season with a different team after losing Kenneth Walker III, Boye Mafe, and Riq Woolen in free agency, all key contributors to their Super Bowl title. However, the mentality that got the team the championship will remain largely the same. 

Ernest Jones IV discussed how his Seahawks Super Bowl team will differ from his Rams Super Bowl team, which disappointed in the season after their Super Bowl win. Cameron Van Till of Seattle Sports wrote about Jones and the differences between the two teams, as described by Jones.

“I just think the mindset it’s kind of different,” Jones said. “The first time (with the Rams), we were trying to defend it. This time, (last year) really doesn’t matter. … Last year is not going to help us.”

Jones then discussed the team having to re-establish itself at the beginning of the season. 

“We’ve gotta go out and do it again and do what we did and establish ourself early and keep that going.”

Jones’ mindset of the team having to earn everything all over again mirrors that of his head coach, Mike Macdonald. 

Run It Forward

Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks are putting the 2025 Seahawks season to bed after receiving their Super Bowl rings last week. Macdonald’s mantra for this season is to push forward and not look back on past accomplishments. Brady Henderson of ESPN, in his May 26 article, wrote about Macdonald’s messaging.

“We’re using the term, we want to run it forward — ‘it‘ meaning our process and who we are,” Macdonald. “I think this is going to be … something that we’re going to talk about consistently. I don’t think it’s a one-and-done type of conversation. Really, it’s just how we talk about how we operate all the time. It’s something that we’re having conversations with our team and our units every day about who we want to be and how we want to do things, and this situation is no different.”

Macdonald believes the key to sustained team success is maintaining consistent daily habits.

“I think when you look at some of these high-performing teams that have been able to do it over a long period of time, I think the common thread that you find is a standard that you feel responsible to uphold on a daily basis, and part of that standard here is chasing edges, is a spirit of evolution and a spirit of moving forward all the time,” Macdonald continued. “So that’s where our minds are. But giving us the freedom to move forward and have the space to kind of make each new phase of the year our own and unique to us. There’s a balance there [of thinking about picking up where they left off versus starting from scratch].”

The Seahawks know that things are different as defending champions, but know the key going forward is to maintain the same hunger and consistency that brought them a Super Bowl championship last season.