Relationships make the NFL go round – and that was never more obvious than in all of the Seahawks’ dealings over the past week.

The franchise’s relationship with DK Metcalf soured to the point that he simply wanted to go play elsewhere. John Schneider said he could not work it out with Metcalf, so he traded him to Pittsburgh.

Then Geno Smith forced a trade when he and his agent refused to respond to Seattle’s fair contract offer – $40 million in 2025, per Brady Henderson. Whether Smith intended it or not, he got a reunion with his favorite coach, Pete Carroll, back in the NFL with the Raiders.

That might have left the Seahawks in a bind if not for Mike Macdonald’s preemptive move to hire Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator. Kubiak’s previous relationship with Sam Darnold made it easy for the Hawks to quickly replace Smith with Darnold.

“Klint was one of the big reasons I signed here, just being familiar with him and the style of offense that he wants to run here,” Darnold said. “He was very key in my ability to learn the system when I was in San Francisco; we spent a lot of time together when I was there, and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for.”

On top of that, Kubiak also was the connection that brought Marquez Valdes-Scantling to Seattle – MVS had a productive stint under Kubiak with the Saints last season.

“I’m very excited,” Valdes-Scantling said. “I was only (in New Orleans) for eight games and put up some pretty big numbers in a short amount of time with two head coaches and through three quarterbacks. I’m grateful for this opportunity. I’m super excited with what Klint has done and what his offense looks like.”

Relationships still might factor into the offensive line as well, if Darnold and Kubiak are interested in adding Garrett Bradbury, the six-year Vikings center who is expected to be released now that the Vikings signed Ryan Kelly. Bradbury and Kubiak were on the Vikings together for three years, and Darnold of course was Minnesota’s QB in 2024.

Like most of the linemen out there, Bradbury has his flaws; but he would be a good veteran to add competition for Olu Oluwatimi.

Relationships also were a big factor in DeMarcus Lawrence coming to Seattle to help an already very strong defense get even better. He played under Aden Durde in Dallas (2021-23) and signed with Seattle largely because of AD.

Lawrence was off to a hot start in 2024 before a Lisfranc injury ended his season. He is a great run defender, so expect to see him playing the early downs for Macdonald and Durde, then rotating with Seattle’s other outside rushers on passing downs.

Asked if he would have signed with Seattle if Durde had not been there, Lawrence said, “In all honestly, most likely not — just because I know his style, his system, what he’s expecting from me. I know he can help me get back to the D-Law everybody knows.”