The Seattle Seahawks were the class of the NFC in the early 2010s, back when they reached back-to-back Super Bowls and were a perennial contender with Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and their famed Legion of Boom defense.

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In recent years, however, their biggest division rival has been the NFC’s preeminent force.

The San Francisco 49ers have made four NFC Championship game appearances in the past five seasons, including a pair of trips to the Super Bowl. During that span, they have won three NFC West titles and reached the 12-win mark three times.

How much longer will the 49ers remain atop the NFC West? Pro Football Focus lead NFL analyst Sam Monson was asked that question Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. Seahawks fans probably won’t like the answer.

“I don’t think the 49ers are going away any time soon,” Monson said.

San Francisco remains loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. PFF has the 49ers at No. 1 in their current power rankings with point spread team rating of 6.4, which means they would be a 6.4-point favorite over a league-average team on a neutral field. The Kansas City Chiefs are second at 6.1. No other team is above 4.5.

San Francisco has a whopping eight players who were graded by PFF as top-five players at their positions last season: Tight end George Kittle (No. 1), running back Christian McCaffrey (No. 2), wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (No. 2), left tackle Trent Williams (No. 2), linebacker Fred Warner (No. 2), edge rusher Nick Bosa (No. 3), cornerback Charvarius Ward (No. 5) and right guard Jon Feliciano (No. 5). And of course, they also have quarterback Brock Purdy, who finished No. 1 in ESPN’s QBR metric last season as a second-year pro.

“I think they’re probably still (atop the NFC West) for a couple of years, and in particular if Brock Purdy continues playing at the kind of level he was playing at last season,” Monson said. “There’s a debate as to how much of it is him, and how much of it is the system, how much of it is (coach Mike) Shanahan, how much of it is the weaponry around him. To an extent, it doesn’t really matter whether he’s a big piece of that puzzle or a smaller piece. As long as the puzzle remains in tact, they’re gonna be phenomenal.”

Purdy still has two seasons left on his rookie contract, which gives San Francisco some salary cap flexibility to continue paying its slew of other top players.

“It only becomes a problem once he signs a big-money contract, and then that starts to have an effect on guys like Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, and suddenly they have to start shipping off a couple of those players,” Monson said. “That’s when it does matter if he’s not a huge piece of that overall puzzle. But I think that’s a few years away.”

The Aiyuk drama

There has been a bit of drama in the Bay Area surrounding Aiyuk, who is heading into the final year of his rookie contract.

In a recent video he posted to TikTok, Aiyuk told former college teammate and current Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on a FaceTime call: “They said they don’t want me back.” As ESPN reported, it’s unclear whether Aiyuk is implying the 49ers don’t want him back this season, or whether they don’t want to pay him for a long-term contract extension. According to ESPN’s Ryan Clark, Aiyuk and the 49ers are meeting this week.

“I think they can probably keep Brandon Aiyuk if they want to do that,” Monson said. “And if they didn’t, I would imagine they would’ve traded him away already at this stage. So I imagine they’re gonna keep that group. Even if they lose one of Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, they’ve already sort of been drafting for that contingency, with (first-round draft pick) Ricky Pearsall coming in to what is already a ridiculously loaded skill position group.”

Listen to the full conversation with PFF’s Sam Monson at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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Seattle’s Bill Nye the Science Guy is among the stars. 

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has awarded Nye a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing his cultural impact in terrazzo and brass among the likes of Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe. 

Nye is one of eight honorees to earn a star this year in the television category. The chamber of commerce also awarded stars in motion pictures, live theater/live performance, radio, recording and sports entertainment.

“Each honoree truly embodies the essence of excellence in their respective fields,” said Peter Roth, chairman of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee, in an online announcement.

Other honorees include Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and Jane Fonda in the motion pictures category, a posthumous star for Prince in the recording category and a sports recording star for David Beckham.

Between 24 to 30 stars are inducted once a year in June, according to the Walk of Fame website. The committee receives an average of two hundred applications each year.

Before he was “The Science Guy,” Bill Nye came to Seattle in the 1970s to work as a Boeing engineer. An astronomy class with Carl Sagan at Cornell University had stoked his appreciation for science. 

Nye entered the world of comedy after winning a Steve Martin look-alike contest. A relationship with John Keister got Nye working on “Almost Live!” in the ’80s, and a canceled guest allowed the classic KING-TV sketch show to shine a spotlight on Nye for the first time.

After cutting his teeth on the Seattle comedy scene, Nye’s energetic blend of entertainment and education struck a chord in “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” The show appeared before Saturday Night Live and later on Comedy Central, winning 19 Emmy Awards during its 1993-1998 run on KCTS-TV. 

Beyond serving as CEO of The Planetary Society and on the board of the Mount St. Helens Institute, Nye has appeared on countless TV programs and written more than a dozen books for kids and adults. 

Material from The Seattle Times archives was used in this report.

The Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than a month, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.

In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.

Will A.J. Barner factor in as a rookie for the Seahawks?

Barner was a three-star recruit out of high school in the 2020 class and committed to Indiana. He spent his first three seasons at Indiana and didn’t see much production despite being active for 30 games. He transferred to Michigan as a four-star transfer portal recruit for his final season in 2023 where he helped the Wolverines win the National Championship. He was the secondary option at tight end for the Wolverines, primarily used as a blocker opposite of potential 2025 first-round pick Colston Loveland. Barner did catch 22 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown, including an impressive 11.3 yards per catch as tight end No. 2. The Seahawks selected Barner in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft to play a similar role.

The way that offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has called games in the past, Barner theoretically fits in as a blocking TE2 with pass-catching upside. Barner fits that profile perfectly and shows there could be more underneath the surface.

With tight end depth not set in stone, Barner grabs it by the horns during training camp and doesn’t let it go. His size at 6-6 and 251 pounds is prime for the position and he uses it to his advantage in all phases of the game. He is the prime complement to Noah Fant and emerges as a regular rotational player going into 2024.

While the potential is there for Barner to be the next Colby Parkinson, he proves to be too raw and struggles with consistency. Despite having played some of the best competition college football has to offer, NFL defensive linemen give him fits in the running game and he can’t hold onto blocks. Those struggles send him down the depth chart.

Barner is a really intriguing bet to make at tight end. He possesses ample size for the position and more than capable athleticism with an 8.70 Relative Athletic Score. His limited sample size for the position as a pass catcher is one of the main reasons why he was available on day three, but the upside is certainly there.

What should be expected by Seahawks fans with Barner is a player that needs time to develop but will be a capable blocker immediately. He will see most of his action in short-yardage and goal line situations and can be an impactful receiver in the red zone when given the opportunity. Don’t expect much out of him right away, but in 2-3 years, Barner could easily be a major contributor for the Seahawks.

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