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Smith was cut from the Giants last March with a failed physical designation and never latched on with a team. After going for 31-268-3 in nine games as a rookie in 2019, Smith’s production only declined in each of the following seasons. A former sixth-round draft pick, Smith joins a deep tight end room in Indianapolis, and will likely have to battle for a spot on the 53-man roster in training camp.

It was a Super Bowl night to forget for Diggs, with the only silver lining being the same was true for every other Patriot. Officially in the mercenary stage of his career, 32-year-old Diggs signed a three-year deal with the Pats as he completed his recovery from a torn ACL. In reality playing on more of a one-year contract — Diggs can be cut loose with relatively little pain for the Pats — he was the No. 1 wideout in an offense where that didn’t mean as much as it might elsewhere. Diggs was just 71st in Pro Football Focus’ “route percentage,” with Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte both playing more snaps when healthy. Diggs did squeak by 1,000 yards, but he contributed only four touchdowns. He did manage a strong 2.42 yards per route run. Nevertheless, Diggs is getting up in age and becoming an increasing off-the-field distraction. It’s quite possible the Pats decide to make his Boston tenure one-and-done.

Shaheed also lost five yards on a rush and was bottled up on special teams. Thankfully, his X-factor play-making wasn’t needed with the defense truly dominating. One of the NFL’s premier big-play specialists, Shaheed came over in a mid-season trade from New Orleans, making exactly nine appearances for both the Seahawks and Saints. He was more productive on offense in Louisiana but remained a diabolical special teams weapon in the Great Northwest. Shaheed’s lack of offensive involvement for the ‘Hawks — he caught more than two passes twice in 12 games if you include the playoffs — was extremely curious, but likely a function of arriving mid-year in an attack that already had Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Headed for free agency as he prepares for his age-28 campaign, Shaheed will be a fascinating open market case, likely turning heads with his contract. Regardless of the deal and winning bidder, however, Shaheed is ultimately unlikely to become a consistent WR3 for 2026.

WIth Jaxon Smith-Njigba gutting through injury and tough coverage, Kupp was actually the Seahawks’ leading wideout as he hoisted the second Lombardi Trophy of his sterling career. Outside the Sean McVay cocoon for the first time during his nine-year career — and not by choice — Kupp chose the ascending Seahawks in free agency even though he would clearly be the No. 2 wideout. “Clearly” became a chasm, with Smith-Njigba out-gaining his veteran teammate 1,793-593. Kupp did manage to stay largely healthy for the first time in four years, and saw a modest usage spike during the postseason. Four months shy of his 33th birthday, Kupp has no guaranteed salary for 2026, but cutting him would create as much dead money as cap savings. He could be in for a restructure, but Kupp will likely be back with the Seahawks. Where he is unlikely to be is in the top 40 in fantasy after this season’s WR52 finish by total PPR points.

The Seahawks finally went down to a one-man backfield for the biggest game of the year, with Kenneth Walker III out-touching his new caddy 29-3. On the season, second-year UDFA Holani was a distant No. 3 option behind KWIII and Zach Charbonnet. That changed following Charbonnet’s Divisional Round ACL tear, though Holani’s late postseason work was obviously borne of necessity. Already 26 years old, Holani does not project as a meaningful future piece of Seattle’s backfield even if Walker departs in free agency.

Henderson needed to be a Super Bowl X-factor, but it turned out no Pat was capable of changing the game vs. the Seahawks’ defensive onslaught. The No. 38 overall pick of the draft, Henderson struggled to overtake Rhamondre Stevenson as starter even though he eventually led the team in rushing and totaled 10 touchdowns. As explosive as advertised — he cleared 5.0 yards per carry as the Patriots’ “lightning back,” and finished top 10 in rush yards over expected — Henderson was nevertheless disfavored by the playoffs, where Stevenson was the runaway “1A” option. It was still an ultimately promising rookie season, but Stevenson remains under contract for 2026, and there’s little reason to expect the Pats to abandon their two-back approach following a Super Bowl run. Henderson offers plenty of offseason upside as an RB2 option, but would need something to happen to Stevenson to make a run at RB1 status.

Stevenson qualified as a rare bright spot as one of only two Pats to find the end zone in a 29-13 defeat. Given a new backfield running mate in No. 38 overall back TreVeyon Henderson, Stevenson finished the year as the Pats’ second leading rusher. That, of course, doesn’t tell the full story, as Stevenson survived an early season deluge of fumbles to end up the most trusted back for the stretch run, including the playoffs, where he out-touched Henderson 68-35. Curious, but the Pats’ sharp coaching staff preferred Stevenson’s tough running to Hendo’s home run ability, while the veteran was a (far) superior pass blocker. Stunningly, Stevenson actually led the league in average rush yards over expected. Turning 28 later this month, Stevenson has one season left of guaranteed money. He’s guaranteed to remain a thorn in the side of Henderson partisans, but it stands to reason Hendo will get a longer 2026 runway than he did as a rookie. Stevenson is best treated as a lower-ceiling RB3 in offseason best ball drafts.

It was a rare off night for JSN on an evening where almost every other Seahawk was flying around the field and on their A game. It’s a credit to the Patriots, though their only credit in a blowout defeat. JSN also survived a foot issue and concussion evaluation as he posted his second lowest yardage total of the year. Switching quarterbacks, coordinators and offensive philosophies, it was an open question whether JSN could build off his breakout 2024. He ended up posting the eighth most receiving yards in NFL history, with his 1,793 tallies built off the back of stunning consistency. JSN posted fewer than 70 yards only one time all season, and more than 100 nine times. Smith-Njigba was a true inside-out threat, with “just” 27.9 percent of his targets coming out of the slot. Still somehow only 24 years old next week, JSN now heads into the offseason the candidate for a mega extension as he enters the final two years of his rookie deal. This is probably a situation the Seahawks will get out in front of. Regardless of his contract status, JSN is firmly in the mix for No. 1 overall status in 2026 fantasy drafts.

Continuing to shine in Zach Charbonnet’s (ACL) injury absence, Walker was the offensive star of the show in a game where points were at a premium. His box score would have been even bigger had a late long touchdown run not been called back by a dubious holding call. One of the most hotly-debated backs in all of fantasy football, Walker finally stayed healthy for an entire season but could never shake Charbonnet as his co-starting back. It was Charbonnet who featured in the red zone, rendering Walker something of a between-the-20s specialist even as he out-caught Charbonnet 31-20. Charbonnet held up better in pass protection and never put the ball on the ground. For his part, KWIII fumbled just once. Walker is an explosive back, but one who frustrates coaching staffs with his circuitous run paths. Now headed to free agency, it’s unclear if Walker will be back in Seattle considering Mike Macdonald’s lack of faith in the game’s highest-leverage spots. Of course, KWIII’s strong playoffs will undoubtedly complicate that calculus. Walker turns 26 in October.

Facing his fourth defensive onslaught in as many playoff appearances, Maye fully wilted, losing 43 yards on six sacks and coughing up a fumble six. Although the Chargers, Texans and Broncos will all tough matchups, the Seahawks proved to be something else entirely, routinely getting home with just four pass rushers. Maye did not play well, but he also never had a chance. Things were much different during the regular season. After a stunning Week 1 dud against a Raiders squad that would go on to claim the No. 1 overall pick, both Maye and his Patriots started on a Super Bowl warpath and never let up. Despite a curious lack of 300-yard performances, Maye was shockingly consistent, finishing below 200 yards only two times all season. He lapped the field in NextGenStats’ completion rate over expected, and finished top five in average intended air yards. Despite running less often than he did as a rookie, Maye was a big-play machine, and it helped carry a Pats offense running low on standalone playmakers. It was all about Maye, an extremely bullish sign for a 23-year-old second-year pro. If this is what Maye can accomplish with a skeleton crew skill corps, we would love to see what he’s capable of with a more fleshed-out unit. Expect that to arrive for 2026, keeping Maye in the MVP mix after this year’s top-two finish.

It wasn’t always the prettiest performance, but Darnold stood tall in the face of pressure — both defensive and otherwise — and avoided turnovers while taking only one sack. He could never hit on one of his patented deep completions, but did more than enough as the Seahawks’ defense absolutely smothered the Patriots’ offense to claim the second Super Bowl title in franchise history. As for the regular season, Darnold completed his multi-season comeback story, shaking off his “big game” collapse from 2024-25 to set a new career high in completion percentage (67.7) while keeping his touchdown percentage above 5.0. He finished top five in completion rate over expected, and was amongst the league leaders in average depth of target. That’s the long way of saying he paired efficiency with explosive plays, the latter of which were nearly all directed Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s way. Still on the right side of 30 and signed for the next two seasons in Seattle, Darnold should remain a priority streamer in fantasy. Despite his career revival and sterling “real life” play, Darnold’s volume is limited just enough to keep him outside the top 12 in offseason ranks.