We’re entering a new era of Seattle sports. Will it be a better one?

A city’s sports scene is built on foundational faces.

As the faces change, the eras change.

We’re entering a new era.

Consider the mainstays in Seattle sports over the past decade or so, the local faces of a team and a sport and a city who spent at least five seasons here.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, president of football operations John Schneider, quarterback Russell Wilson, linebackers Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright, wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Mariners manager Scott Servais, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, pitcher Marco Gonzales and third baseman Kyle Seager. Storm guards Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd and forward Breanna Stewart. Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer, goalkeeper Stefan Frei, midfielder Nico Lodeiro, forwards Jordan Morris and Raul Ruidiaz. UW athletic director Jen Cohen, football coach Chris Petersen, hoops coach Mike Hopkins and softball coach Heather Tarr. Reign winger Megan Rapinoe.

(Given our stated criteria, the Kraken remain too new to qualify.)

Now, count which Seattle cornerstones have retired or departed — whether voluntarily or otherwise — in recent years. Carroll. Wilson. Wagner (once, and possibly twice). Wright. Gonzales. Seager. Bird. Stewart. Lodeiro. Cohen. Petersen. Rapinoe.

Hopkins — soon, possibly?

Granted, your list likely looks slightly different than mine. We can spend a separate story dissecting the names and nuances and definitions, debating and painstakingly comparing resumes. And, admittedly, there are always outliers — pockets of stability and familiarity amid the flux.

But there’s no denying the sudden scarcity of foundational faces.

We’re entering the unknown.

The Seahawks, of course, offer compelling evidence. In January, Carroll was gently ushered out of the Virginia Mason Athletic Center after amassing 137 wins, 11 winning campaigns, 10 playoff appearances and the franchise’s only Super Bowl in 14 transformative seasons. But though the 72-year-old fatherly face of Seahawks football built and maintained a standard of success, his results had recently plateaued — with a wholly mediocre 25-26 record in the last three seasons, and one playoff win since 2017.

In moving on from Carroll, the Seahawks sought more than the status quo. 9-8 was no longer enough.

But will their boldness bring rewards or regrets? Carroll is gone, Wagner’s second Seahawks stint may already be over, Wilson is a Denver Bronco (for now), and the Legion of Boom lives on in championship banners … but not in the locker room.

Meanwhile, Schneider has entrusted the franchise’s future to first-time NFL head coach Mike Macdonald, first-time NFL offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, first-time NFL defensive coordinator Aden Durde and first-time NFL special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh.

A new era, indeed.

Speaking of which: look no further than the University of Washington, where Kalen DeBoer disappeared through the swinging door of UW football coaches. In two seasons and 28 games, the 49-year-old DeBoer led UW to the brink of its third national championship — delivering three victories over Oregon, a pair of bowl wins and an eternal Pac-12 title. It was a manic Montlake sprint, followed by an abrupt bolting to Alabama.

Suddenly, Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Ja’Lynn Polk, Edefuan Ulofoshio, Bralen Trice, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Dillon Johnson, Troy Fautanu, Roger Rosengarten, etc. — the faces of a breathtaking turnaround — are NFL bound.

And Jedd Fisch is being paid an average of $7.75 million annually to rebuild a winner on the ruins.

But the Montlake makeovers are not exclusively held inside Husky Stadium. In Hec Ed, men’s hoops coach Mike Hopkins is unequivocally coaching for his job, as the Huskies sit at 16-14 overall and 8-11 in Pac-12 play. The 54-year-old Hopkins took home Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in each of his first two seasons in Seattle, but has gone 68-82 in the nearly five seasons since.

Meanwhile, Tarr’s excellence transcends eras. The veteran softball coach won her 800^th game at Washington on Feb. 24, and did so with a relatively unrecognizable roster. Stalwarts Baylee Klingler, Sami Reynolds, Madison Huskey and SilentRain Espinoza — the heart of the Husky order during last season’s Women’s College World Series run — are gone, as are previous standouts like Sis Bates, Gabbie Plain and Morganne Flores.

No matter. Like Thanos, Tarr’s team is inevitable. It reloads and cooly conquers. Early on, the Huskies are 14-2, ranked No. 4 in the nation, fresh off Thursday’s doubleheader sweep of future Big Ten foe Maryland in their home opener. (UW trailed 6-0 in the second game, before Olivia Johnson belted a walk-off grand slam to give Washington an 8-6 comeback win.)

UW’s transition also transcends any particular team. After the Huskies spent more than a century in the soon-to-expire Pac-12 Conference, new athletic director Troy Dannen will steer UW into the Big Ten (or 18) this summer.

But back to the concept of reloading rosters: consider the Seattle Storm. After Bird retired and Stewart signed with the New York Liberty, the Storm tumbled into the basement of the WNBA. But following an uncharacteristic 11-29 finish, the franchise seems set to contend — having signed perennial all-stars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike to pair with Loyd and ascendant forward Ezi Magbegor. But can a new core recapture Bird and Stewart’s previous success?

Likewise, the Reign and Sounders simultaneously said goodbye to franchise cornerstones this offseason, as Rapinoe retired and Lodeiro signed with Orlando City FC. The Reign also rebranded and signed midfielder Ji So-Yun — South Korea’s all-time leading goal scorer — and Welsh internationals Angharad James and Lily Woodham to negate the losses of Rapinoe and free agent departees Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett.

The Sounders lost Lodeiro — perhaps the greatest player in club history, with 58 goals and 95 assists across 231 appearances — but added 23-year-old Argentinian Pedro de la Vega to provide a goal-scoring spark. But can an aging lineup featuring the 37-year-old Frei, the 33-year-old Ruidiaz and the 29-year-old Morris still summit the MLS mountain?

Somehow, the Mariners and Kraken — for now — offer a measure of personnel stability, with relatively longstanding organizational leadership and rosters teeming with young (and contractually controlled) talent. Transcendent 23-year-old centerfielder Julio Rodriguez is signed through 2029, and figures to be the long-term face of Seattle sports.

But if the Mariners miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, or the Kraken can’t consistently recapture their 2022-23 form, that tenuous stability could rapidly erode.

Regardless, this city’s teams seem to be in simultaneous transition — hurtling either towards titles, the edge of a cliff or the chasm in between. And while the status quo can be comforting, the unknown offers more intrigue.  

We’re entering a new era of Seattle sports.

Will it be a better one?