How the Patriots and Seahawks shattered 15 years of NFL free-agency trends, spending big and defying historic odds to reach Super Bowl LX.
You see it every March. NFL teams desperate to turn their fortunes around from the previous season splurge on big-name free agents to get their fan bases hyped up for the fall. Except those clubs are almost never the ones playing for the Lombardi Trophy the following February.
In fact, over 15 years of Spotrac data on free agency spending dating back to the 2011-12 season, not a single team that played in the Super Bowl was among the five biggest spenders in the previous free agency signing period. Until now.
In this highly abnormal, improbable 2025-26 campaign, both Super Bowl LX participants, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, were among the top four spenders in free agency back in March. The Pats spent by far the most money on free agents, a whopping $364.4 million on 19 players, including $192.9 million guaranteed, the total money nearly $95 million more than the next team. The Seahawks gave out the fourth-most money at $205.6 million to 16 players, with $101.6 million guaranteed, which was the fifth-most in that category.
New England and Seattle became the first teams to reach the Super Bowl in the same year after missing the playoffs the previous season since the Patriots and Carolina Panthers made the Big Game in 2003-04. It’s the first time in NFL history that two teams that had 50:1 odds or greater to win it all are playing for the championship. So, how did big free agent spending help the Pats and Seahawks?
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New England gave out six contracts last offseason with at least $10 million guaranteed, led by the four-year, $104 million, including $63 million guaranteed it gave defensive tackle Milton Williams to leave the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. While he started 12 games and put up 3.5 sacks during the regular season, Williams put up two sacks in the Wild Card victory over the LA Chargers, and Pro Football Focus ranked him 43rd among 134 interior defensive linemen and 22nd in pressuring the quarterback.
The three years and $63.5 million, including $22.6 million guaranteed, the Pats gave veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs paid off with 85 regular-season receptions for more than 1,000 yards, providing young QB Drake Maye with a proven, reliable target. Among 81 eligible receivers, PFF ranked Diggs sixth on the season.
Cornerback Carlton Davis, signed for three years and $54 million with $34.5 million guaranteed, started all 17 regular-season games and intercepted two passes in the Pats’ divisional round win over Houston. He ranked 35th among 114 eligible cornerbacks on PFF. Edge rusher Harold Landry got a three-year, $43.5 million deal with $26 million guaranteed and rewarded the Pats with an 8.5-sack season that had him rank 42nd overall among 115 eligible edge rushers.
Linebacker Robert Spillane contributed a sack, two interceptions, and a forced fumble after receiving a three-year, $33 million deal with $20.6 million guaranteed, with a PFF grade ranking him a strong 12th overall among 88 eligible linebackers. And tackle Morgan Moses excelled in pass blocking en route to ranking 27th among 89 offensive tackles after getting three years and $24 million, $11 million of that guaranteed.
Seattle gave just three players contracts featuring at least $10 million guaranteed, and two of them were named to the original Pro Bowl rosters. After Minnesota elected not to bring back Sam Darnold in favor of J.J. McCarthy, Seattle traded Geno Smith to Las Vegas and signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle, including $55 million guaranteed. While Smith and the Raiders finished with the worst record in the league and McCarthy struggled with the Vikings, Darnold finished fifth in passing yards, 10th among 43 QBs in PFF ranking, and led the Seahawks to the top seed in the NFC and the Super Bowl.
Following an 11-year tenure with Dallas, edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence inked a three-year, $32.5 million deal with the Seahawks, including $18 million guaranteed. He proceeded to record six sacks and three forced fumbles during the regular season, and a sack in both of Seattle’s playoff wins, grading out 13th in PFF among 115 eligible edge rushers. And while Cooper Kupp was only a mediocre receiver this season, ranking 40th in PFF among 81 wide receivers, he caught the eventual winning TD pass to send Seattle to the Super Bowl, helping justify the three-year, $45 million contract they gave the veteran, including $17.5 million in guarantees.
Despite all these free agent signings, New England and Seattle also built significantly through the draft. Of the 21 Patriots that started at least 10 regular-season games this season, nine were originally drafted by the team, including the team’s two Pro Bowl starters — Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez. And of the 21 Seahawks that started at least 10 regular-season games, 11 were originally drafted by the club, including Pro Bowl wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
But in an abnormal NFL season where our Super Bowl teams defied the odds, literally, to make it, New England and Seattle bucked at least 15 years’ worth of trends and won their respective conference championships while spending big on free agency. They made those signings count, and now they’re each one win away from the most unlikely title we’ve seen in football in quite some time.
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