Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks are preparing for the 2026 regular season after reaching the peak of a Super Bowl championship. Seattle defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 for its second title in franchise history.
Quarterback Darnold completed 19 passes for 202 yards on a 50% completion rate, along with a touchdown. Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker departed for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason on a three-year, $45 million contract. Although wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was limited to four catches for 27 yards in the Super Bowl, he led the league with 1,793 receiving yards during the regular season (eighth all-time) and returns for next season.
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The defending champion Seahawks are looking to alleviate the loss of Walker by providing more depth on the offensive line. On Monday, it was announced that Seattle signed offensive lineman Bobby Hart. Hart is a 12-year veteran who was originally drafted by the New York Giants in the seventh round (No. 226 overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Hart also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers.
The St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduate started eight games for Los Angeles in 2025. Hart filled holes on the Chargers' offensive line after star left tackle Rashawn Slater missed the entire season with a ruptured tendon and right tackle Joe Alt missed six games. Hart has started 75 games in his career, including serving as the Bengals' starting right tackle from 2018 to 2020.
Seattle went to social media to announce the signing. In a post on X, the Seahawks wrote that they signed the 31-year-old for the 2026 NFL season.
Seattle will host New England in a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
