Sitting a few lockers away from each other, Seahawks receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp traded book suggestions, with the 10-year veteran offering his younger teammate some new options to add to his reading list.
With players reporting to training camp on Friday, there were first-day-of-school vibes at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, and not just because there were book discussions. There was a level of excitement for players to get back to work to start building on what they got done during the offseason workout program.
"It feels like a revamp, a new energy in the building, honestly," Smith-Njigba said. "It feels good to put the past behind us and really focus on the future. On right now in front of us, that's attacking training camp, and I can just tell by the vibe of the guys, talking to them in the locker room, we're ready for that. We're ready for the next thing. It's awesome to be here now."
As the reigning Offensive Player of the Year put it, the past is behind this team, even though that recent past was pretty spectacular. Yes, the Seahawks went 14-3 last season to win the NFC West, and yes, they marched through the postseason, knocking off two division rivals before putting together a dominant win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX. But as head coach Mike Macdonald has been preaching all offseason, those good memories need to stay in the past so the 2026 version of the team can start its own process towards becoming a championship-caliber team. And that run-it-forward message has definitely gotten through to the players.
"The league moves on, just like life," Kupp said. "Things happen, and shoot, the clock keeps ticking, life keeps moving forward. You've got to be able to adapt and move, and it's the same way with football. Football keeps going, keeps growing, keeps changing, and you can't be complacent. If you get stuck celebrating for too long, you're going to be in trouble. Guys have done a great job of really just moving on. At the end of the day, it's, what can you learn from last year? How does it apply to this year? Let's take it and make it come to life."
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who, like Kupp, knows what it's like to start a new season after winning a Super Bowl, added that the Seahawks need to "Forget about (last year's accomplishments). Those wins last year won't help you this year. I told some of the guys early on, everybody's going to have a target on our backs, but that's the way we played last year, like we were the prey, like we were the catch, we were the team that was destined to win it. So it's no different, let's just go to work, take it day by day, and Week 1 is Week 1, Week 2 is Week 2, just keep it all the same."
Added fellow linebacker Drake Thomas, "Last year was last year. We want to be this year's version of us and see how good we can get by taking kind of the same approach we did last year—just focus on every single day, being intentional about areas we want to improve on, and see how far that can take us."
Jones, who joined the Seahawks in 2024, halfway through Macdonald's first season as head coach, was part of a defense that took a big leap from that season to 2025, finishing last year with the league's top scoring defense. As the way Jones sees it, the growth shouldn't stop heading into Year 3 under Macdonald.
"Man, I'm super excited, just thinking about where we left in OTAs, and how much better of a team I think we are now than we were at this time last year," he said. I'm excited, get to put the pads on here in a few days and get back to what we know.
"It's crazy, even just from how we ended last season to where we picked up in OTAs, we're miles ahead. Mike is challenging us with different things in the playbook that we can do to matchup better with certain offenses. Honestly, I think the sky's the limit for us. We still have a lot of room for improvement, and guys are getting better, so that's only going to add more to the toolbelt."
Smith-Njigba feels the same way about the offense, which returns 10 of 11 starters from February's Super Bowl win, a big change from a year ago when the Seahawks made some big changes on offense, most notably at quarterback and receiver.
"It's really just Year 2 basically with my guys," Smith-Njigba said. "I'm excited to get to the next step, the next level with Sam (Darnold), and to see the emergence of (Rashid Shaheed) and Tory Horton and the young guys that we have in the receiver room, and Cooper Kupp—really just our whole position group taking the next step in Year 2 with Sam. I think it's going to be a big leap, and we're excited to get to work and start building that chemistry."
But again, continuity doesn't mean the 2026 Seahawks expect to just walk on the field and be the same as last year's team. They know they need to grow and evolve and form their own identity, which is why players said the first day of camp after a Super Bowl title didn't really feel any different than Day 1 of any other season.
"It honestly doesn't, weirdly enough," said receiver Jake Bobo. "I've been fortunate enough to do this now four times, and I that's probably a pretty good sign that there's not a lot of relaxing going on out here right now. It's good to see everybody, it's a first-day-of-school type of vibe, and guys are excited to get to work."
Said Smith-Njigba, "It definitely feels like a new beginning, and we're excited for it."
Seahawks veterans reported for training camp on Friday, July 24, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (32) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence (0) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks tight end Nick Kallerup (89) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks safety Maxen Hook (43) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks tackle Bobby Hart (68) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks guard Bryce Cabeldue (77) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks cornerback Andre Fuller (35) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Jalan Gaines (47), guard Beau Stephens (60) and nose tackle J.R. Singleton (70) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Jared Ivey (51) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks safety Rodney Thomas II (24) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks cornerback Michael Dansby (37) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks center Jalen Sundell (61) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (49) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks fullback Brady Russell (38) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks defensive tackle Rylie Mills (98) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (50) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks wide receiver Irv Charles (85) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (17) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks running back George Holani (36) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo (19) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks nose tackle Uso Seumalo (92) and linebacker Ja'Markis Weston (46) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks safety D'Anthony Bell (23) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks safety D'Anthony Bell (23) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (84) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks running back Kenny McIntosh (25) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence (0) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks tackle Abraham Lucas (72) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. (87) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson (27) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (56) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks linebacker Chazz Surratt (44) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90) arrived at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Friday, July 24, 2026 for the beginning of training camp.
