Super Bowl 60 features two teams that missed the playoffs last season, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. Also, both head coaches, Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel, were hired by their respective teams recently, with this being Macdonald’s second season and Vrabel’s first on the job.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster is expected to have a significant amount of turnover this offseason, and the Raiders will have a new head coach, reportedly set to hire current Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak after the big game.
So, let’s dive into how Seattle and New England built their teams to give Las Vegas a blueprint for how to quickly rise to prominence in the NFL, looking into a few key positions for each club.
The AFC and NFC champions took different approaches to finding their respective leaders.
The Seahawks took a chance on and up-and-commer, as Macdonald was just 36 years old and had never been a head coach at the time he was hired. Most of his coaching tenure was with the Baltimore Ravens, climbing up the ladder from intern in 2014 to defensive coordinator for the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Macdonald did spend one year (2021) away from Baltimore in that time frame, serving as Michigan’s DC.
Meanwhile, the Patriots went with the retread route, hiring Vrabel after a six-year stint from 2018 to 2023 as the Tennessee Titans’ head coach. It helped that the 2021 coach of the year had success in Tennessee with four winning seasons, three playoff appearances and two division titles. Also, he has familiarity with the organization, spending eight years and winning three Super Bowls as a player in New England.
The Raiders will be following the Seahawks’ model here since Kubiak has no head coach experience and is about to turn 39 years old.
Quarterback
Seattle’s general manager John Schneider deserves a ton of praise for how he handled the team’s quarterback situation last offseason, trading Geno Smith to Las Vegas and signing Sam Darnold in free agency. That was a risk, seeing as Darnold was considered a bust with the New York Jets and ended last season poorly with the Minnesota Vikings despite playing well for the majority of the campaign. As a result, Schneider took some criticism during the offseason, but he’s certainly been vindicated since then.
New England went with a different approach, spending the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Drake Maye. The Patriots also weren’t in a hurry to rush Maye onto the field. He didn’t make his first start until Week 6 of his rookie season. With the No. 1 pick this April, expect the Raiders to follow this model with Indiana’s Fernanod Mendoza.
Skill Players
The Seahawks used just about every way imaginable to build their receiving corps; drafting No. 1 receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round three years ago, signing Cooper Kupp in free agency last offseason and acquiring Rashid Shaheed via a midseason trade. Their running back and tight end rooms were primarily built through the draft, though: Kenneth Walker (2022 2nd round), Zach Charbonnet (2023 2nd round), AJ Barner (2024 4th round) and Elijah Arroyo (2025 2nd round). NFL journeyman Eric Saubert is the only one who bucks that trend.
The Patriots took a similar approach out wide, signing Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency last spring while drafting Kayshon Boutte (2023 6th round) and Demario Douglas (2023 6th round). Also like Seattle, New England drafted its two running backs, selecting Rhamondre Stevenson in the 2021 fourth round (before extending him) and TreVeyon Henderson in the second round last April. But the Pats’ top tight ends, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, were both free agent signings.
Right now, all of Las Vegas’ key skill players—Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, Tre Tucker, Michael Mayer and Jack Bech—were drafted by the club. So if the organization is going to follow the two Super Bowl teams’ formulas, look for the Raiders to add some weapons via free agency or a trade this offseason.
Offensive Line
Except for center Jalen Sundell, who was signed by the team as an undrafted rookie in 2024, the Seahawks drafted all of their starting offensive linemen. Left tackle Charles Cross was a first-round pick in 2022, left guard Grey Zabel was a first-rounder last year, right guard Anthony Bradford was a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2022 third-round selection landed right tackle Abraham Lucas. Cross and Lucas have also recently signed contract extensions.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have a couple of rookies on the left side of the line: Will Campbell (1st round) and Jared Wilson (3rd round), and used a 2020 sixth-rounder on Mike Onwenu before giving Onwenu a second contract a couple of offseasons ago. However, New England does deviate from Seattle in that it signed center Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses in free agency to fill a couple of holes up front.
The lesson learned here is that drafting and developing offensive linemen should be the primary strategy. The Raiders are on that path since Kolton Miller, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers, DJ Glaze and Charles Grant were all drafted by the club.
Granted, that group includes two unproven commodities in Rogers and Grant, and it could use at least two other starting options, especially if Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith aren’t re-signed. So, Las Vegas should be looking to add offensive linemen in the offseason via the draft, free agency or both.
Defensive Line
Free agency and trades are the primary vehicles for how both teams built their defensive lines.
The Seahawks traded for and then gave a contract extension to defensive tackle Leonard Williams in 2023, signed edge Uchenna Nwosu in free agency four years ago, and brought in longtime Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence this past spring. That being said, they did draft defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (2024 1st round) and edge defenders Boye Mafe (2022 2nd round) and Derick Hall (2023 2nd round).
As for the Patriots, defensive tackles Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga, and edge defenders Harold Landry III and K’Lavon Chaisson were signed in free agency last year. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore (2021 2nd round) is the only significant defensive lineman whom New England drafted.
The Raiders could use a significant amount of help on the d-line, and if they’re to follow these two teams’ blueprints, that will come by bringing in a handful of veterans during the offseason.
Linebackers
The second-level of Seattle’s defense is a combination of trading for and then extending an experienced player in Ernest Jones IV, and developing a young guy in Drake Thomas. Granted, Thomas originally signed with Las Vegas coming out of NC State. However, the Raiders cut him in 2023 before the Seahawks claimed him, and he spent two years playing on special teams before becoming a starter this season.
New England went with a similar approach. Coincidentally, the organization also signed a linebacker who suited up in Las Vegas by bringing in Robert Spillane during free agency. Christian Elliss, the Patriots’ other starting linebacker, was an undrafted rookie who bounced around in the league for a few years before finally finding a home in Foxborough. The Pats’ defense has also gotten significant contributions from Jack Gibbens, who was signed in free agency this past offseason after a three-year run with the Tennessee Titans.
With every second-level defender that took more than 100 defensive snaps set to have their contract expire in March, Las Vegas will be in the market for the position this offseason. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them follow the Seahawks’ model, signing a veteran in free agency and developing a young player, whether that’s a rookie draft pick, Tommy Eichenberg or Cody Lindenberg.
Defensive Backs
The Seahawks lean heavily on nickel personnel, and four out of five of their key defensive backs were drafted by the club. Cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon (2023 1st round) and Riq Woolen (2022 5th round), and safeties Coby Bryant (2022 4th round) and Nick Emmanwori (2025 2nd round). It’s worth noting that Bryant was originally selected as a cornerback before switching positions in year two. Safety Julian Love is the only significant DB Seattle brought in via free agency.
The Patriots followed a similar approach. Cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez (2023 1st round) and Marcus Jones (2022 third round), and safety Craig Woodson (2025 4th round) were drafted by the club. Meanwhile, cornerback Carlton Davis and safety Jaylinn Hawkins were free-agent signings after spending stints with two different clubs each.
As for the Raiders, cornerback Darien Porter (2025 third-round pick) and safety Jeremy Chinn (2025 free-agent signing) are seemingly the only two defensive backs who feel like locks to return next season.
Cornerbacks Eric Stokes, Kyu Blu Kelly and Darnay Holmes are all set to have their contracts expire, while safety Isaiah Pola-Mao could be on the chopping block with just $750k of dead cap on his contract, per Over The Cap. Look for Las Vegas to use the draft to improve its secondary this offseason, especially since that’s how the majority of both Super Bowl clubs’ defensive backfields are built.
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