​Rewriting what I posted on The NFL on CBS X account about the tier-list of NFL teams, which I created in response to the question “Which teams have best set their QB up for success?” yesterday on X, and which placed the Seattle Seahawks in the “average incubators” tier alongside the Las Vegas Raiders. The list, attributed to Jared Dubin, stems from a longer article released this week that explains the surprising choice and lays out his ranking criteria. At first glance, this social media graphic stirs the pot around one of the hottest debates in NFL media right now—the surprisingly popular take that the defending Super Bowl LX Champion Seahawks will take a significant step back. Hawks fans online, including Hawk Mania, raised questions about Seattle’s placement on this list.
To compare Seattle and Las Vegas as quarterback incubators, the reference point is Geno Smith. He finished 25th out of 26 quarterbacks in PFF passing grade among players who logged at least 378 dropbacks in 2025 with the Raiders, after ranking 7th of 25 in 2024 and 11th of 24 in 2023 while with the Seahawks. His performance followed a similar arc in relation to Pete Carroll’s tenure, spanning 2023 and 2025. He performed better under Ryan Grubb in 2024 than in the other campaigns, though Grubb was Mike Macdonald’s hire (who still was fired that year). Dubin’s rationale centers on the novelty of Brian Fleury and the Seahawks’ names, which admittedly made notable strides forward last year. Dubin’s criteria provide enough context to understand why he arrived at an opinion that carried significant shock value when presented in graphic form, yet it aligns with the growing narrative that the Seahawks may be underrated by national media entering 2026.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks’ QB environment questions fuel “disrespect” narrative for better SEO.