My theory on the Russell Wilson reports

Last week, Jordan Schultz reported that Russell Wilson would be prepared to waive his no-trade clause in the off-season to join the Broncos, Giants or Saints.

He also referenced a recent Adam Schefter report, claiming the Eagles were also on the list.

Wilson distanced himself from the report when quizzed during a press conference. Yet on Sunday, the NFL’s in-house reporter Ian Rapoport validated Schultz’s claim:

“Schultz, who has ties to Wilson’s camp and is the son of Seattle businessman Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO, reported that Wilson would strongly consider waiving his no-trade clause for the Broncos, Giants and Saints. A source later confirmed the information, while Wilson didn’t deny it.”

So what’s going on here? Why is this being talked about now?

I have a theory.

I’ve long thought Wilson has little desire to leave Seattle. He places a big focus on legacy. Playing for one team for your entire career is special. He has put down roots in the Pacific Northwest. If given the choice, I think he would 100% choose to play many more years in Seattle.

However, it’s also very clear he no longer believes in Pete Carroll’s philosophy. You only have to listen to Greg Olsen to understand what he thinks about it.

I also think he wants and expects a greater say in personnel decisions and has lost faith in the front office to make the right choices to build a contender.

So as much as Wilson prefers to stay in Seattle, he won’t stay at the cost of future success and an opportunity to max out his peak years. He wants to win — and wants to play for a team he believes is giving itself the best chance to succeed.

Further to that, I think the relationship between John Schneider and Mark Rodgers is particularly frosty, creating another issue. I’ve long felt that Wilson would’ve been dealt last off-season if the decision had been left up to Schneider.

Thus — Wilson’s preference might be to stay in Seattle but he’ll only want to do so with major changes at the top.

If he or his people want to nudge ownership in a new direction, you can’t wait until the season is over to do it. By January 10th, the day after the season ends, the Seahawks will need to have known for some time what they’re planning to do.

It’s no good creating media talking points then. It’s too late. Those kinds of conversations have to happen now. If you want to influence decision makers, there’s no time to lose.

It’s the same for any team. Contrary to what many people think, most firing decisions aren’t made on a whim. You’re not ‘waiting to see’ how a couple of games go. It’s about now when you’re finalising future plans for your franchise.

My hunch is that what happened last week, Schultz’s report backed up by Rapoport, is the Wilson camp reminding ownership of his dissatisfaction and preference for change. His press conference also served to let it be known he’d rather stay in Seattle. It might be a bit of a jigsaw to put together — but overall the message is clear. I want to stay but also want change. Make those changes or I’m going to ask to go somewhere else. And if you are moving me on, these are the teams I’ll consider.

People can say what they want about timing with the Seahawks now on a two-game winning streak. The reality is a playoff run is still highly improbable. Seattle has already lost tiebreakers to Washington, Minnesota and New Orleans. The only team ahead of them in the playoff hunt where they hold a tiebreaker is San Francisco — and they’re already two games ahead of the Seahawks, with four games to play.

Further to that, Seattle’s NFC record is 2-6. With the Eagles at 4-4, that’s another tiebreaker they would currently lose if records are equal.

I would suggest if you intend to squeeze into the 7th seed with a 9-8 record you need to have key tiebreakers in your pocket. Seattle doesn’t. They also need to end the season on a six-game winning streak, including wins in LA and Arizona. Given the way they’ve played the Rams over the years, the playoff dream could well be left in tatters within seven days — making upcoming home games against Chicago and Detroit a moot point.

In a fantasy world where everyone puts everything on hold until the improbable playoff run is officially ruled out, you simply give up the best possible opportunity to initiate change or set the table for a proper departure.

Believe it or not — I also think it’s possible to cast half an eye on the future while still being sufficiently focused on performing to a high level on a Sunday. I didn’t see anything against the Texans, or against the Niners, to suggest there’s any kind of distraction here.

It’s just business. And a player of Wilson’s caliber is more than capable of letting his team handle his future, while he focuses purely on the football.

I also think it’s indicative of the secretive nature of what is being discussed and perhaps being prepared in the background. If my theory is correct, I’d suggest Wilson (and therefore everyone else) is probably non-the-wiser as to what Jody Allen and Vulcan are thinking.

What is clear, however, is that significant change of some form is coming. At least one of Carroll, Schneider and Wilson won’t be in Seattle by the start of the 2022 season.

I discussed this further in last night’s instant reaction live stream:

Please consider supporting the blog via Patreon (click the tab below)…

Become a Patron!

141 Comments

  1. L80

    I never want the Hawks to lose. UNTIL this week. I want the talk of playoffs off the table and I want the changes to begin in earnest.

    Starting now gives a nice head start and it will show Wilson that the changes will be made.

    It would be an interesting situation if Russ became a part owner of the team while still playing. Not sure if that is even possible but just sitting here pondering it.

    • BobbyK

      The only way I’ll ever root for the Seahawks to lose is if they are without a franchise QB and if they lose enough they’ll be able to draft one early. Provided they weren’t dumb enough to trade their #1 pick away for a bum.

      • L80

        Well, if they don’t make changes kiss the franchise QB goodbye. Then what?

        They need to be eliminated and that needs to happen sooner than later.

        • CD

          You both can get your way if Pete does the right thing and announces his retirement in the next week or so. He has a lot of ways (excuses) to get out of this mess, do it Pete. We will make sure you are in the ring of honor and come back and raise the 12th man flag at least once per year. Hell, Jody will probably continue to pay you. Think Hawaii and a part time gig on Fox/NBC/CBS via Zoom.

  2. Rokas

    Thank you for the article, Rob, I thought that your thoughts on the Texans game were very spot on and nicely written. We can not fool ourselves with that, and I also expect nothing good against the Rams.

    With regards to this article:
    “What is clear, however, is that significant change of some form is coming. At least one of Carroll, Schneider and Wilson won’t be in Seattle by the start of the 2022 season”

    Are you saying, that it’s possible that PC and Wilson both staying, and JS leaving? Because if i remember correctly you previously stated, that it’s 100 % given, that one of PC or RW is not coming back.

    • Rob Staton

      No, I didn’t say that. I simply said at least one of those individuals won’t be back.

  3. Big Mike

    Nice summation of the thoughts you expressed last night Rob. Man would I love to be a spider on the wall in Allen’s office.

  4. Call Me AL

    I thought the timing of the news that Russell Wilson would be prepared to waive his no-trade clause in the off-season to join the Broncos, Eagles, Giants or Saints was just him letting everyone know early that he wanted to be traded. After all its hard to believe he would want to continue to play for a team that is on this type of trajectory.

    But your theory Rob makes much more sense, he wants to stay but only if major changes are made at the top. I believe this brings up two interesting points for me. First, I didn’t believe he wanted to stay. Secondly, he has clearly drawn a line in the sand and put Jody Allen, Pete and John on notice. Make the needed changes or else I want to move on.

    It will be interesting to see how Jody deals with something of an ultimatum from Russ, which will be very telling as to where this team is headed. Secondly, Pete and John must have reached the same conclusion as you and despite what their plans may be at the end of the season, it still has to have elicited some level of animosity in them. Despite the persona Pete, John and Russ convey to the public, they are clearly not happy with each other.

    The Seahawks have a multitude of problems and the situation has been getting progressively worse. The GM and HC have had enough time to right this ship and don’t seem to have the right answers. I have to believe that Jody Allen isn’t oblivious to the fact major changes are needed.

    Very interesting theory and article Rob.

  5. cha

    Great reasoning here Rob. I think this is the most plausible scenario given the facts and reports we have. Wilson wanting to fan some smoke in the organization’s direction without burning the building down is 100% in line with his M.O.

    I would also add the Schultz report was dropped a mere three days after Mike Garafolo’s Jody Allen “she is not happy, wants a winner and all options are on the table / whoops that doesn’t mean Pete is a goner” report.

    I highly doubt that is a coincidence.

    • Roy Batty

      Bishop to Queen’s 4.

      Check.

  6. BobbyK

    I think your theory is pretty spot on. No way those teams he would play for comes out of the blue, while there’s no way he really wants to leave Seattle. But he’s not staying in Seattle with the status quo.

  7. Rob Staton

    Jordyn Brooks is grading at 52.4 per PFF

    When will that pick be discussed as a mistake?

    • Big Mike

      Ready when everyone else is and the biggest reason isn’t his performance which is so so at best, especially vs. the pass. The biggest reason is because Seattle should’ve drafted Jonathon Taylor Instead.

      • Big Mike

        I will be interested to see how he performs at his natural position of MLB next season. Regardless, Taylor should’ve been the pick.

        • Peter

          This is a problem I am well and truly sick of in Seattle. This fascination with playing players out of their natural position.

          Tackle to guard on the same side of the line is one thing. But MLB to Sam/will or entirely different responsibilities.

          Sheldon Richardson sucked in Seattle but he was an end in a 3-4 not a tackle in a 4-3.

          A lot of fans thought Glowinski was barely adequate but he played on the opposite side of the line here than in college.

          Even the Graham trade. I love a great TE but this whole era’s ideal TE is 6’4″ 250-260 about 40 catches, two TD’s and can block.

          I know it is less “enthralling,” than outsmarting football and finding a sleeper hit or a convert no one saw. But sometimes a player at position x is just that.

    • Mick

      Brevin Jordan’s TD was his fault.

      • Rob Staton

        Yep

      • Sea Mode

        As well as a big gainer early on, I believe, where he got sucked into the middle of the field by Mills’ eyes instead of tracking the crossing WR. (really nicely done there by Mills, btw)

        • Whit21

          You dont know how mad i was during the first drive. Brooks’ zone coverage was so bad that the 2 biggest plays were basically against him. Collins big gain the the 5 yard line, you can see Jordyn sink to the middle of the field and almost runs into Bobby. There wasn’t even a pump fake. Davis Mills just stares down the open receiver.

          I only saw one replay of the TD.. but most likely he needed to disrupt that route and Ryan Neal needed to pick it up as well.. Both started to head hunt at the LOS..

          • Rob Staton

            And yet we never hear anything about that first round pick potentially being a mistake

            Two years into Brooks’ pro career, I’m unimpressed. I think it was a bad pick.

            • Sanjay Jayachandran

              He seems to be touted on FG. What do you think of Ryan Neal, Rob?

    • Bmseattle

      Probably people assume that since he’s starting and hasn’t gotten hurt, we should count that as a success for this team.😑

    • CWagner

      Definitely hasn’t made a huge impact and probably not the best stat but he’s third in the NFL for tackles rn.

      • Rob Staton

        I really wish we could get over the tackle stats.

        Wagner is first, Brooks is third.

        There’s a reason for this. It’s because they’re playing for Seattle, and the way the defense is playing and has played.

        • cha

          Anyone recall an advanced stat that shows avg depth of field on tackles?

          A few years back someone was railing about how great a LB was and a stat came out that his avg depth of tackle was something like 2 yards deeper than his career avg. Translation: He was making more tackles because the defense was getting pushed down the field more than ever before.

          Something like that would be applicable here.

          • Roy Batty

            I’ve said it before and I will say it again:

            If total tackles in a game are a measure of a player’s worth, then Trey Flowers was an All-Pro.

            • Peter

              Total tackles….is as good of a metric as yards thrown per season is in predicting qb success. Both are almost meaningless in correlating to wins or how a player is dominating a game.

    • Sneekes

      Too often we’ve seen a ‘cute’ first pick from the Hawks, with a nod and a wink that tells us that J&P are the experts, they understand the game better than anyone of us, and they’ve seen through it all to pick the real value.

      It’s maddening, there’s a time and a place in the draft for going against the grain and picking a player you like who isn’t high on other draft boards, but it’s not the first round. First round you pick the popular guy that everyone wants but there are limited picks and lots of other good guys around. Then, when the talent starts to wane – you spring for the Brooks/Collier/Penny. If you pick the unheralded guy early on, even if he’s pans out, you’ve lost the advantage you thought you had. You pick him later – you have him and the big guy.
      We can do it, we did it with DK, but we’ve missed out so many timed. Even if we’d done it once with the heralded trio we missed (Watt, Chubb, Taylor) then we’d be in a much better position right now.

      • Rob Staton

        💯

  8. Sea Mode

    Glad he got a confidence boost and is putting in the work, but this was against the dysfunctional Texans, dead last in rush defense, that our OL finally held up and our RB was productive. I’ll wait for next week to take anything at all away from this.

    Brady Henderson
    @BradyHenderson
    ·11h

    Penny was candid about the emotional toll his injuries have taken and the role social media has played in that. Said the comments “can be the worst things possible and it can tear somebody down. That’s what it did to me a few years ago. But now, it’s just like you’re numb to it.”

    • CD

      Easy solution, don’t read it. Doesn’t he have someone close to him to suggest he doesn’t read that stuff, turn it off?

  9. Sea Mode

    What could/should have been… Creed and Jonathan Taylor…

    Jim Nagy
    @JimNagy_SB
    ·12h

    Okay, now that Micah Parsons has won Defensive ROY we just need to focus on if OROY goes to Mac Jones or Creed Humphrey.

    • Bmseattle

      It’s so frustrating.
      Knowing we need to overhaul the line, it would be perfect to have the center position settled for the foreseeable future.
      Now its just one more position on the list of many needs.

      • Peter

        If your list is like mine than it is essentially every position besides QB and WR.

        The team barely uses TE’s so I rarely count that.

        Center
        Guard that can maul opponents
        D tackle that commands double teams
        CB’S that can get any turnovers
        RB that can carry the rock 18x a game for, let’s not be greedy, 14 games a season.
        Some sort of LB if Bobby goes and Brooks is a lot better as a MLB.

        Since Quadre Diggs is looking at a lot of money we will probably be lookkng yet again at safeties.

        • bmseattle

          Potentially, either or both of the offensive tackle positions could be #1 on that list, too.

        • TJ

          So in other words, with a few exceptions, this roster stinks. Pretty much sums up the state of the Seahawks.

          • Peter

            I think some fans think that other fans are happy with this. Like i take pleasure in Seattle being mediocre.

            When what i want is for seattle to ruin teams on sunday and travel back to a time when they were hanging plus 40 points in back to back to back games early in Wilson’s career.

            I think the FO struck gold maybe with Taylor, curhan, and obviously Metcalf. But yeah outside a very small amount of players, including the legend that is Wagner…..upgrades need to happen everywhere.

            • bmseattle

              If we are truly at the point of a complete rebuild, then we must trade Metcalf now, though, right?
              I high priced WR is probably last on the “to do” list when rebuilding.

              Or… would it be a high priced SS… or MLB…

              • Roy Batty

                The counter to that is extending him and his hit next season is relatively small, and 2023 is also digestible.

                His cap hit is currently $1.46 million in 2022, so they can push the big hits down the line a fair bit. The biggest hurdle will be his guaranteed money demand. If it’s huge, and I would think it would be, then that’s a different story.

                • Peter

                  I am reading it as Seattle only has DK for one more year than he is a free agent and would need to be tagged for 21+ million. Unless another player further blows up the WR market. Currently the top ten wr contracts are going for high 40 million guarantees with 3.5 years……thanks to Hopkins’ brutal contract.

                  It’s a goofy time. Trade an awesome WR and piss off Wilson? Keep DK for 48 million guaranteed and give Wilson, thanks to Josh “never won a ring,” Allen something nuts like 3 years 95 mil guaranteed at the same time?

                  • Peter

                    Strike that.

                    Wilson for three years 120 million. Guess i was too stupid to realize the bills gave Allen 150 million in guaranteed money.

              • Peter

                The problem with DK iis the team could get something for him. With wagner he’s likrly in a player swap trade territory with his age and contract. With Adams it’s likely he just won the lottery. What can you get for an oft injured overpriced safety?

    • Big Mike

      SIGH

    • Olyhawksfan

      I come across a lot of blow back when people talk about draft wifs. They write it off as “anyone can play the hindsight game, for any team”. But the thing that gets me is they NEEDED a stout RB, they NEEDED a center. My grandma could have picked those players. Instead they went for WANT. We don’t need a middle linebacker, but I want this guy. We don’t need a WR 3, but I want this guy. Inexcusable.

      • bmseattle

        If the team had simply followed Rob’s draft board over the past several years, the team would be in pretty good shape.

    • Scot04

      In a way I’m happy for the players. I’m guessing if we pucked Taylor he would’ve been backing up Carson and been our 3rd string back. Pocic still likely playing ahead of Creed. I have 0 confidence in PC using quality players how they should be used.
      He’s never been big on starting rookies year 1, desearving or not.
      Was excited about Lewis starting last season, the ofcourse he screws that up and moves Lewis to LG.
      I have trouble believing those two picks would have changed much with PC as HC.
      Always compete just doesn’t feel true anymore.
      It’s pretty easy to see by who’s playing on the field at times & who can’t get snaps.
      We need change with our decision makers, and hopefully that will be enough to keep RW.

      • BA

        I tend to agree. Given the alarming miss rate on our draft picks over the last several years, you’d almost have to be intentionally targeting bad players, which leads me to believe there’s a development aspect as well as a drafting aspect. We’ve turned into one of those dreaded organizations that ruins players.

  10. Don

    I say let’s see if Wilson is sincere about staying here or not and call him on it. Offer him an extension now and see if he bites. Either way you may find out his true intentions and begin planning for either sceneario.

    I have also been intrigued by the idea, as I suggested a couple of weeks ago and another commenter posted today, about offering Russ some minority ownership since he has the desire to get into sports teams ownership (doesn’t he have some stake in the Sounders?).

    • Blitzy the Clown

      He’s not after an extension, so why would offering one make him bite?

      He wants a change in how the offense is run, and he knows that won’t happen with Pete in charge.

    • cha

      You’re on the right track. If RW is going to force change at the top, he needs to own it by signing an extension.

      It doesn’t make sense to try to force him to put his money where his mouth is by signing an extension, since until they’re removed, JS or PC would be the guys negotiating the extension. It’s a process that needs to happen and starting off with something adversarial would not be a show of good faith.

      Offering minority ownership might not work since it crosses the player/owner barrier and I don’t think either the NFLPA or the owners would care much for that. At best, they could offer him something in a trust. But it would have to be approved by everyone involved and the value would count against the cap.

      • Sean

        Maybe he’d like a minority stake in the Trailblazers?

  11. cha

    Pete Carroll is a wizard genius who is totally tied into the pulse of this team and the NFL according to Mike Salk this morning.

    He pulled some random clip from PC saying “it will take 8 weeks to figure out how the season is going to go” in the NFL after the PIttsburgh game and said he counted exactly 8 weeks from that clip and lookee here, the 8 weeks later Seahawks are playing great football. Didn’t even acknowledge the irony of saying that after beating the dregs of the NFL.

    His female cohost had the audacity to ask how can you not have your team figured out 12 weeks into the season and be considered a competent coach, and Salk decided to bulldoze her point and talk for 10 more minutes about how awesome the defense is.

    I shudder to think what the PC Show will sound like this morning.

    • Peter

      After yesterday’s performance against a team that is low key in a battle to get the number one pick Seattle’s awesome 31st ranked defense maybe moves up to what, 28th, 29th?

      I wonder if all the other coaches in the league understand how important for team character building it is to try to squeak into the playoffs with a maybe one game above .500 record and wait for the outcomes of about four tie-breakers to fall?

      I mean what a bunch of dummies. Why waste your time jumping off to a hotstart and guaranteeing your shot when you can just feel it out as you go. Mike salk is acting like this isn’t pro sports and what the seahawks are doing is some great eastern philosophy message like: the journey is more important than the destination.

      This is the only goal in sports: Win as much as you can. Get to the playoffs. Win as much as you can again. Get to the championship. Win that. Any thing else is just bull—-.

      • cha

        You jogged my memory a little. Salk also said the Seahawks are ‘very much in the thick of the playoff race.’

        • swedenhawk

          Insufferable.

    • Peter

      I don’t know why he can’t break down the positives. Then if he wants to talk about the playoff chase break down the variables. It could be informative and entertaining if done right. But not disingenuous like he is now.

    • Olyhawksfan

      The next Tater?

      • Rob Staton

        More like…

        Comical Ali

    • cha

      “I’ve been hammering our guys about the fundamental things, and so at the end of the year we’re doing it where other teams are not.”

      Maybe try hammering the fundamentals in training camp and OTA’s next time?

      • Rob Staton

        No… it’s more important to have back-to-back years where the defense starts the season like an absolute disaster zone.

        It gives you something to do during a season.

        You don’t want to be bored, after all.

        • bmseattle

          Unfortunately, the fan base hasn’t been this bored since Jim Mora was the coach.

        • RugbyLock

          Yeah! Having to watch a horrendous defense builds character!

    • sonicreducer

      The Brock and Salk show was great. Salk on his own is turning into garbage. He is totally delusional about the state of this team.

      His take on MLB’s steroid era today was trash as well.

      • 12th chuck

        there was a good reason why he was fired in the new England area (I think it was there?) to have him come back here, with his tail between his legs….to a promotion though? He is ruining 710

        • Whit21

          That’s why I don’t even listen to 710.. Its a waste of time. id rather listen to Puckett or Ian ramble about the Cougars. I did really enjoy Jim Moore’s article calling Salk out and talking about how Salk treated him and fired him. And then he gets a job in his home town of Boston and then gets fired from there and has to come back to lil ole Seattle.

          its terrible content.

  12. cha

    PFF Offense

    https://i.redd.it/h89tha5hkb581.png

    Props to Jake Curhan! 76.1 with an 88 run blocking grade

    • Blitzy the Clown

      He had some trouble with the speed rush outside, but otherwise I thought he played as well as anyone on the OL.

    • Mick

      Duane Brown’s grade is worrying. And I would love to see Pete having the guts to play Curhan against Donald.

    • Ashish

      Let them enjoy for another 6 days. Media can get excited about play off run blah blah. Next week Donald alone will take away the game like it has never happened. Pete will say Donald is great.

  13. cha

    PFF Defense

    https://i.redd.it/zpe0424mkb581.png

    • Denver Hawker

      We need an overhauled D-Line- the coverage grades on those guys are just terrible

  14. Starhawk29

    The most frustrating part of the “our defense is actually great” narrative, in my opinion, is that this is actually a good year for defense. The best team in the AFC is winning with defense. The great QBs are having down years across the league as defenses catch on to what they’ve been doing for the past few years. Even Mcvay has been brought low some games. And yet the seahawks D remains a poopfest. While the rest of the league catches on to what Mahomes, Allen, Stafford, Jackson, and others are doing, we are seemingly clueless for the first half of games. Credit to PC a d KNJ for second half adjustments the last few weeks, but wouldn’t it be smart to not let up the points and yards in the first place? To take away the things the other team wants to do? You know, like the rest of the league?

    • Rob Staton

      The most frustrating thing about it for me is no defense with this tepid pass rush, pressure and sack rate, lack of turnovers and total inability to defend a screen pass deserves to be described as ‘good’.

      • Starhawk29

        Yes, that is the point though, isn’t it? In a year when other defenses are actually playing well, we are trotting out this pathetic unit. Yet the local media is praising it like it is top ten.

    • Peter

      This defense isn’t great and fans that think it is are trying to will it into existence.

      • BobbyK

        People believe what they want.

        The people who say this defense is great point to the fact that they are top 5 in scoring defense. This is an inconvenient truth to the people who say the defense sucks.

        The people who say this defense sucks points to the fact that they are almost the worst in yardage allowed. This is an inconvenient truth to the people who say the defense is awesome.

        Somewhere in between is the truth.

        • Peter

          It’s kind of a miracle helped a bit by their schedule that they are dping so well in scoring.

          Last in yards
          29th in takeaways
          28th in sacks per game

          I think the scoring game is great but it’s not like we faced many great offenses.

          • Rob Staton

            We should also remember who they’ve played

            Look at the list of QB’s

            Even when they faced Aaron Rodgers he was coming off a period of isolation and looked rusty as hell

            • BobbyK

              You don’t think Trey Lance, Colt McCoy, Jameis Winston, David Mills, Jimmy Garbage, 100-year old Rapistburger, rookie Trevor Lawrence, Taylor Heinicke, etc. are any good? Didn’t you know Rapistburger used to be good and Lawrence will be good? That should count for something. Lance was a #3 overall pick and Jameies went #1. What they’ve gone up against really isn’t much different than going up against Manning, Brees, and Brady three weeks in a row about 10 years ago. Best. Defense. Ever.

        • BA

          I wouldn’t even say there’s an inconvenient truth, the defense is just objectively bad. They’re dead last in TOP and yards for a reason, because they intentionally slow the game down and allow absolutely anything underneath to give the impression that they’re playing better than they are.

          It’s the basketball equivalent of playing defense until the last second in the shot lock, then giving up an easy layup every time. Of course you’ll show fewer points allowed, but every other stat will look terrible, which is what we’re seeing with the Seahawks.

  15. Kevin Mullen

    Fire sale.

    Wipe clean and see who/what we can trade to get compensation back, free cap space. I’d be for keeping PFord, DTaylor, JBrooks, DLewis, and DK (along with our 2020/2021 draft class).

    I’d be reluctant to keep Wilson only as he’s our only blue chip trade bait. If there’s an offer of 3 1st round picks to be got, I’d pull the trigger. He’s the only one we can use to jump start the massive rebuild ahead. We can skip a year of mediocrity by trading him.

    If there was a peace to be made between JS & RW, I’d love to keep that model: and I get the whole JS & Wilson’s agent beef but I feel JS never got the full scope of work and I’d be willing to let him pick his coach & draft picks for next couple of years. Dood has found some gems but also get his latest picks haven’t panned out. But with PC as overall final say, we can’t put 100% of the picks failures on JS. He’s not Gettleman, Elway, Pace, etc. he doesn’t get those privileges.

    • Roy Batty

      How do you skip a year of mediocrity by trading the one guy keeping you from worse than mediocrity?

      You can use all those picks on the trenches. You can pay for FA’s (not many big names) with the savings. But, how are you scoring without a good QB? Minshew? Dalton?

      I highly doubt it.

      • Blitzy the Clown

        I think of the Cleveland Browns. That’s a top roster all the way through with playmakers at every position group…except QB. And Mayfield is better than any other vet QB who might be available for Seattle to replace Wilson with. And no, I don’t think Aaron Rogers is reasonably available.

        So think about it, overall Cleveland’s roster is already superior to Seattle’s and there’s no way to even things up talent-wise the number of picks Seattle gets for Wilson.

        So trade Wilson, and the best case scenario is end up a poor man’s version of the Cleveland Browns. And that’s if they hit every single draft pick for Wilson. No way and no thanks. Especially if the same FO is making those picks.

        • Roy Batty

          Exactly. Complete rebuilds are a nightmare. Unless you hit on all the picks AND temp top FA’s with a ton of cash, it’s a long slog.

          • BobbyK

            This team doesn’t need a complete rebuild. That’s for teams who finish 2-15 or 3-14 and were blown out in a majority of their games. This team has been in a majority of their games. Big difference.

            I think last year they got unusually lucky with their inflated 12-4 record, but I think they’ve had some of that same luck go against them this year with their bad record.

            If they keep their franchise QB, there is no reason they shouldn’t make the playoffs next year with the potential for a deep run if they spend their FA dollars wisely and can hit on a few picks. But that’s the problem with this regime – they haven’t been spending wisely, nor have they been hitting on their picks as well as they could/should. Their “best” 1st round pick in a long, long time is a LB 4th in the league in tackles but has a PFF of barely 52. He’s late-1st round worthy of tackling and attacking and is rookie free agent “good” in coverage. He only ranks so high in tackles because the defense is on the field for too much of the time.

            To me, anyone wanting to tear everything down really doesn’t know what they’re asking for. They’re asking to be decades of the Bengals, Jags, etc. There’s no guarantees their top picks will be the studs we’d want them to be.

            • Kevin Mullen

              Russ can’t read past his first read. Rarely steps up in pocket. That’s been his Achilles heel since he’s been here. If the first read isn’t open, it’s backyard scramble drill if he can scoot out to the pocket (assuming he doesn’t get sacked).

          • pdway

            agree. If Russell is playing like this, you re-build around him.

            There isn’t a team in the league w out some weak/unproven spots. The idea that we are going to be strong at every position is unrealistic.

            Build the O-line, that will solve a lot of woes.

            • BobbyK

              That’s what’s so frustrating about the Adams disaster. A good SS is probably one of the least important starting positions on a team. Obviously, you would like to be good/great at every position, but if you only could be good at so many positions, a SS like him wouldn’t rank as much of a high priority than a QB, LT, C, DE, DT, CB, FS, MLB, etc.

              You can get by having a weak SAM or WILL if the other is pretty good. You can get by with a so-so guard, provided the other is good. You can get by with a lackluster group of TEs provided they have a strength, such as good blockers (or receivers). You can even get by with three decent WRs, provided they’re all decent, as opposed to having a Megatron, Julio, etc. and not much else. So many ways to build a team but some roster positions are simply more important than others.

              If I had a team of everyone being slightly below average and could have 5 total players who were well above average in their place, there are lots of scenarios but I’d choose these to be good:

              1. QB
              2. EDGE
              3. LT
              4. DT
              5. CB1

              Plenty others to want to be good at, too. Like FS, MLB, CB2, C, RB, WR… Nowhere near consideration on this list is a Jamal Adams type. Not unless they were a divine leader of men like Kam was.

        • Kevin Mullen

          Stefanski was a forced marriage with Mayfield. That may not be his type of quarterback.

      • Kevin Mullen

        New England, Philadelphia, Las Vegas & LA Chargers did it thru the draft. Tennessee, LA Rams, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis did it thru FA. There’s plenty of ways to “skin a cat”.

        • Scot04

          New England does it both ways, they spent a ton this offseason.
          Belichick is just one of a kind though.

    • Ashish

      Having good QB is blessing, you can build team around. Check other teams who are still struggling NY teams, Browns, Bears, Bronco. But check how Tampa doing better with Tom or Titans.

      Pete has lost it 4 years back, he has taken all his life line and now it’s time.

      • BobbyK

        When he traded for Jamal, he sold his soul. His team was NOT 1 player away, especially a SS, and he still mortgaged the future anyways.

        That trade was so much different than dealing for Percy Harvin. At least by trading a 1/3/7 for Harvin, you could argue they were 1 dynamic playmaker away. That trade made sense in that regard.

        But mortgaging more than you gave for Harvin for a guy like Adams made absolutely no sense.

  16. Scot04

    Excellent and well reasoned write up Rob. Very good read.
    I’ve enjoyed all your unbiased opinions over the years; but especially the last two years. This is a difficult time and what likely could be a franchise changing offseason.
    A time where posts and podcasts like yours become even more important.

    Saw a write up by Randy Mueller that you would find interesting.
    He definitely echoes many things you have said over the years about roster building.
    Also about a quick turnaround.
    Pete having too much control.
    Admittedly he has a couple other differing thoughts.
    Still I don’t want to spoil any of it though for those who might want to be read it.
    I think it’s a worthwhile read though.

    https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/should-seattle-seahawks-trade-russell-wilson-as-part-of-rebuild

  17. cha

    Jalen Ramsey and Tyler Higbee just added to the COVID list

  18. BobbyK

    If you could gift the Seahawks any 1 player in football, who would you give them? Just curious to what others would like.

    Want to give them a Creed Humphrey knowing he’s great and still has 3 years left on his rookie contract?

    How about Justin Herbert knowing you can then deal Russ for draft picks? If you choose this option, you can’t whine in 4 years that he’s going to get $50 million/year that he’s taking up “too much” of the salary cap.

    What about looking ahead to claiming Alabama edge Will Anderson?

    • Blitzy the Clown

      I rewatched the SEC championship on Saturday and I’ll say Anderson looks fantastic. Had me dreaming.

      Also thought Devonte Wyatt looked just as good as Jordan Davis in that game. I know he’s not the same player. But I think he’d be excellent value in the 3rd round.

    • Kevin Mullen

      TJ Watt

      • BobbyK

        I love Watt as well, but I’d rather have Anderson on a 5-year rookie deal than inheriting Watt and his 4-year $112 million contract.

    • olyhawksfan

      DK Metcalf

    • Hawks4life

      I’d probably go for TJ Watt as well

    • icb12

      Top 3 in order:
      Aaron Donald.
      Micah Parsons
      Derrick Henry.

      Honorable mentions to Mike Evans and Myles Garrett.

    • RugbyLock

      Nick Chubb…

  19. Ashish

    Good theory and make sense. I also wish that is the case and ownership makes the decision and not Pete. Russ trade news and ownership not happy with team performance plus its not one year thing gives me hope for 10th Jan. Yes i don’t want hawks to go in play off it can jeopardize the decision making.

  20. Matt

    If the Seahawks would just move on from Pete Carroll and give Wilson more autonomy, the franchise wouldn’t be in terrible shape. Their cap isn’t completely screwed and while they haven’t drafted well, the 2020 class looks like a winner. The offense as currently constructed could be one of the top offenses in the league with better health from Wilson and a better mind in charge. And FWIW the pick from the Adams trade is looking like it won’t be in the top 5-10 so it might sting a bit less. Frankly, I don’t think Seattle is in a worse position going forward than Denver, NYG, Saints etc.

  21. BobbyK

    This is my worry if Pete or John or Pete and John stay in ’22…

    They have no long term vision anymore. They have proven that. All they’ll try to do for ’22 is put more band-aids on more serious problems. That will lead to another wasted season that will fall short. Again.

    This is my worry if Russ is able to have too much say, even with new decision makers…

    He wants to win so badly (not a bad fault) that I think he may have similar ideas than Pete/John in terms of wanting to win “now”. I worry it will be another Dan Marino situation where they started selling out to get Marino that ring (during the last of the Shula years) and they never built properly through the draft and went with veterans who would help them now, rather than in a year.

    Russ is young enough where they can still have great years in the future if they’re willing to build this the right way. But then it’ll be like, “Thanks, Pete, for screwing us over and taking our #1 pick away to put us in the hold to start this new regime out”. So frustrating right now.

    • 12th chuck

      wow. very valid points

    • Big Mike

      Really good points Bobby. My hope is that if Russ is given some say in how things move forward, that he would be smart enough to suggest generalities and leave the specifics to those (new) people hired to retool this team. I would also hope he’d pound the table for a LOT of help on the o-line.

  22. Rob Staton

    First 2022 mock draft coming tomorrow

    • MychestisBeastmode

      Yes!

    • Big Mike

      Lookin forward to that. You da man

    • RugbyLock

      Coolio!

      • JJ

        Is it just a first round mock?

  23. BoiseSeahawk

    My take on the defense is that it is better without Jamal Adams. Cut him.

  24. vbullen65

    Hi Rob, just curious…have you ever watched the Seahawks Man 2 Man Podcast with Michael Shawn Dugar and Christopher Kidd? I think it’s pretty good. They have some cool guests (Doug Baldwin) and they discuss things rationally and calmly. Of course, your videos are the best!

    • Rob Staton

      I haven’t, no

  25. Ashish

    John Schneider shares equal blame. James corner, OBJ, Ertz, von miller, leonard fournette so many opportunities to improve the team

    • Roy Batty

      You are making the assumption that they would want to play for Pete.

      • Ashish

        Good point, in 2012 era players wanted to play may not be anymore.

  26. Gary

    I’ve said this before but I feel like I’m out on an island with this opinion. The frequently-stated narrative that the Hawks need to win games to avoid giving the Jets a higher draft pick just makes no sense to me. The Jamal Adams trade was a flaming dumpster fire the day it was made, as Rob has so clearly explained many times. What the draft choices turn out to be don’t change that for the better or worse one bit. The Jets are not division rivals, they are not conference rivals, they’re not rivals at all. I could care less whether they end up drafting first overall, it makes no difference to us now that the trade is a sunk cost. The trade isn’t made worse by what the Jets end up getting in return; by that logic, we’d be invested in how well the Jets draft or how wisely they use the pick. The point is only that because of their inexcusable desperation, we no longer have a first round pick at all, this year or last year. Not to mention, the higher the Jets draft in the first round, the higher we draft in the second round. The whole debacle is just a travesty of mismanaged resources and should cost people their jobs.

    • Denver Hawker

      If it’s an island, it’s a very crowded one.

      At this point, I’m more interested to see more creativity, better play out of under-utilized/under-performing players, and dare I say fun.

      Will take an absolute miracle to make the playoffs, let alone win in the playoffs. No matter the finish from here, significant change needs to happen.

      Teams/fans that play/root for picks are poverty.

    • Scot04

      You would hope it would cost our GM and head coach their jobs.
      However, I am not so sure yet that will happen.
      We can only hope Jody wants to keep RW, that will take change to make happen.

    • Rob Staton

      Lots of people have voiced this opinion

      But you also need to appreciate others don’t agree. And whether it’s a sunk cost or not, to many people it will unbearable to miss out on a top player just to pick a little bit earlier in round two

      • Gary

        I’m one of those people – it will be unbearable to me too. But it’s because we gave our pick(s) away for a bag of magic beans. Since we can’t undo the past, all that matters now is not letting Positive Pete anywhere near this roster reconstruction and making the most of the few assets we do have. I could care less whether the pick we don’t have is 20th or no. 1 overall.

    • Julian

      Hoping the Jets avoid a high pick is also indicative for those that still hope the Adam’s trade won’t be determined a disaster. The lower the pick the more easily justifiable the trade. I’m not sure Pete (if he’s still in Seattle), will be declaring gleefully “our 1st round pick is Jamal Adams” in the next draft!

      I hope the Seahawks will win their remaining games, but having watched a shortened version of last night’s Rams, Cardinals game I’m pretty certain they won’t.

    • RugbyLock

      It’s called the Seahawks Draft Blog Island and we’re all residents. John Clayton is… not… 🙂

  27. MattyB

    I would never route for Seattle to lose .. i much prefer sport to be honest and keeping it real.
    change is definitely required and even with his great success, PC is the guy who needs to move on.
    as for Wilson agent and JS they need to grow up and mend their differences.

  28. DancingBuddha

    Wilson needing to use Jordan Schultz to reach ownership instead of contacting them via the many ways he has at his disposal simply does not compute unless the argument is that Wilson and the average fan have similar levels of access to team ownership which simply a position I find very very hard to buy into

    • Rob Staton

      It’s not about Wilson ‘needing’ Schultz to do anything.

      Schultz might simply have a source and is reporting what he’s heard.

      Ian Rapoport validating it though? The NFL’s in-house reporter? That’s different

    • cha

      It’s actually the other way around. Why wouldn’t Russell use all the tools at his disposal? Putting public pressure on the team is a major, major club in his bag. He’d be foolish not to use it.

      I also think for all their proclamations of friendship and closeness, Russell’s message still isn’t getting through.

      He got laughed out of the room last year when suggesting offensive strategy for the cardinals game. He got blindsided by the season ticket letter which didn’t mention him after one of his career best years, which led to a conversation with the team president.

      Those are just the examples we know about. It wouldn’t shock me if there are many, many more.

      I’d also argue the team uses back door leaks as much if not more than players do. It’s too coincidental how things get planted in the media at just the right time. The Jamal Adams negotiations with the sources to Condotta and then Florio for instance.

      And then there’s the public face that says everything is fine with the team.

      Pete’s insistence that the defense is good and making excuses for a horrible pass rush. The running game that is awesome. Or will be once the backs get out of the blue tent. The constant ‘we would be better if Russell got the ball out quicker’ that doesn’t acknowledge the defense is bleeding yards profusely.

      This is a mechanism. Too much money is involved to just pick one way of communicating and stick to that.

    • DT

      I think it was intentional by the agent – keep the dialogue out there, but do so with a “non-credible” source so it can be instantly denied – first by Jake Heaps, who is much more aligned with Russ’ camp, and then by Russ. It’s “plausible denial.”
      Source might end up looking bad, but it keeps the topic relevant, then gets picked up by more national media.

  29. Jonny

    For all the talk of Russell setting down roots in Seattle, he has a huge house in San Diego where he spends the offseason. Also, his kids go to private school in San Diego, so that makes me question how tied to Seattle he really is? I also don’t see as strong of a connection between legacy and playing for a single team. What matters the most is what you do with the team(s) you play with. The players with the most prevalent and enduring legacies are the ones that were hugely responsible for winning multiple championships, regardless of team. I think that is what Russ is after. He wants what Tom Brady has. In order to be grouped with the greatest ones ever, you need to be in the same league with Super Bowl rings. And right now Russ is on the outside, so he’s looking for a way to short circuit his membership to the club. I’m not sure staying in Seattle in order to play for a single team his whole career is even a factor in his calculus. It’s all about which team will give him the greatest chance of winning multiple Super Bowls in the 3 years. With the Seahawk’s current talent deficit due to poor drafting and lack of existing draft picks, it’s hard to see Seattle as that team.

    • Rob Staton

      I think it’s a major, major, major stretch to question his ties to Seattle simply because a multi-millionaire, married to another multi-millionaire, also has a house in one of the best places in the world with an amazing climate. Or that his children go to school there, rather than Seattle. Surely I don’t need to list the ties he has to Seattle?

      Playing for one team for a long period of time is special. It’s been said quite publicly that he likes the idea of being Kobe rather than someone travelling around, jumping teams. Ask anyone in the league. Playing for one team, having success with one team, is special.

      Tampa Bay were a six-win team before Brady arrived. So let’s also not go OTT on what Seattle is or isn’t. You can turn things around quickly if you make the right decisions.

  30. Jason

    I can get behind the idea that Russ may want to low-key push for change earlier rather than later, makes a lot of sense. But I don’t understand why he’d choose this rando dude to spread the rumour… I mean, no one cares or trusts what this guy says. Why wouldn’t he pick someone with a bit more credibility?

    • Rob Staton

      They don’t have to feed this story to anyone. It can be grapevine material doing the rounds. And Schultz and Rapoport have sourced it.

      • Jason

        I don’t understand what you mean by “grapevine material doing the rounds”. Does that mean he’s not intentionally letting it out?

        • Rob Staton

          It means the message can be circulated around the league, and inevitably that info can be picked up and sourced.

          Or they could’ve confirmed what Schultz has sourced to Rapoport.

          There are lots of options other than ‘they chose to hand select Jordan Schultz to put this out’

          • Jason

            OK cool, thanks for clarifying.

  31. Dennis Simonson

    Do we think that a playoff run would save Pete’s job? The last three years of personnel decisions just seems unforgivable, especially when in the context of thinking of next years draft.

    • Rob Staton

      It shouldn’t

      But a playoff run is fantasy land stuff anyway. Even if they win out, they have no tiebreakers

      I think 7-10 is likely. Maybe 6-11

  32. Ashish

    Good news is we will not make to play off.

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑