The Sam Darnold situation is… maybe worth discussing?

Sam Darnold has been linked to the Seahawks

At the height of the Russell Wilson-to-Chicago talks, Sam Darnold’s name emerged as a candidate to replace Wilson in Seattle.

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune quoted a NFL GM linking Darnold to the Seahawks. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News cited a source, claiming Pete Carroll ‘has a high opinion of Darnold’ and that people should ‘keep an eye on Seattle’.

Days earlier, Colin Cowherd also made the connection.

Some have been very dismissive of this talk.

Yet there’s likely a reason Darnold’s name was doing the rounds.

Given the Seahawks were reportedly talking to Chicago about a Wilson trade, only for Carroll to eventually turn down the Bears offer, it’s hardly a stretch that contingency plans were made and that Darnold was considered.

There’s too much smoke here to write it off completely.

And clearly, as has been reported by Adam Schefter and others, any potential Wilson move has to come with the Seahawks gaining a viable replacement.

Chicago’s offer, perhaps, came at the wrong time.

Two weeks ago when all this Wilson trade talk was bubbling, several teams remained prospective suitors for Darnold. Since then, San Francisco has traded up to #3, Washington has signed Ryan Fitzpatrick and Chicago has added Andy Dalton.

It’s not exactly clear who would take Darnold at this stage, leaving the Jets in a not too favourable position. Especially given the world knows they’re set to take Zach Wilson with the second pick.

Then, this report emerged yesterday:

It shouldn’t be a surprise, really.

Who is trading for Darnold?

He pretty much has no market.

It led to this half damage limitation, half ‘please make us an offer’ response from the Jets, courtesy of ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:

So why is this relevant to the Seahawks?

Where as two weeks ago it might’ve meant the Bears giving the Jets a second round pick to include Darnold in a deal — or the Seahawks offering #56 — now it’s possible a third or maybe even a conditional fourth rounder gets this done.

If that’s the case, it makes it much easier to include Darnold in some kind of package. It makes a trade much more likely than it did two weeks ago.

That doesn’t mean anything will happen — or that Darnold was anything more than a possible option which has since been rejected.

It’s just something worth keeping in mind as we count down the days to the draft.

Personally, I’m not sure it’s possible to create a deal that suits all parties. Chicago not owning a high pick, plus the need to include a third party, makes it incredibly tricky.

I do think, however, that the lack of a viable proposal is probably the only reason why this hasn’t happened already.

So it comes down to whether a trade can be presented between now and the end of April, that does work. Again, I’m very doubtful. But I’m also not going to completely ignore the NFL’s #1 insider when he says this:

A lot of fans might be wishing into reality that everything is hunky dory now. If it was, the Seahawks would’ve restructured Wilson’s contract — the ultimate sign of a marriage that won’t be broken this year or next.

Or he would’ve signed an extension. Or they would’ve spoken publicly, to nip this in the bud.

Neither party has come out and explicitly stated that this relationship is continuing. It feels like everyone’s keeping their options open.

Filling obvious holes at left guard and at defensive end isn’t a move to appease Wilson as much as it’s a move to build a team. It’s not really indicative of anything. Neither are a few tweets from Wilson celebrating returning team mates. After all, he’s still Seattle’s quarterback. Why not welcome back people he’ll need to work closely with if he does indeed stick around?

After all — I don’t think Wilson pines to leave Seattle. I think he wants to stay but with the team doing things differently. With less control from the Head Coach. You can make a strong argument that he’s right to feel that way. You can also make a strong argument to suggest Carroll won’t consider it — which is why we’ve had to endure the last two months of drama.

There’s no rush for the Seahawks now that the meat of free agency is complete.

They need to work out whether Wilson is willing to extend his list of trade suitors. Recent reports suggest he’s not adding to the initial four. Yet with Deshaun Watson almost certainly un-trade-able for now, you have to wonder if the Dolphins, Panthers and Eagles at least test the water.

Could they sell Wilson on a deal? I think it’s pretty unlikely but you never truly know.

And let’s be right — picking at #6, #8, #12 or #18 instead of #20 is more appealing.

Alternatively, the Seahawks may get another call from the Bears. Can they work Darnold into a package? Can they manufacture a way to move up the board, to offer Seattle a more attractive pick in round one?

Are they willing to wait until the start of the draft to confirm a deal, affording them the opportunity to include 2024 picks (something they’re unable to do currently)?

Or is there a chance, finally, for both Wilson and the Seahawks to come together and put things right and move forward for the long term?

I actually think that is the least likely scenario at the moment. Tony Pauline’s recent report painted a picture of a couple knowing their futures were heading in separate directions. Several people close to Mark Rodgers insist this is Wilson’s last contract in Seattle, meaning it’s best for the Seahawks to max out his value while they can.

Putting two and two together — Carroll was presented with an offer, negotiated by John Schneider and Ryan Pace after talking and then meeting at the North Dakota State pro-day — to trade Wilson. Carroll rejected it.

To me that implies Schneider was at least comfortable with the offer, otherwise he wouldn’t have pitched it to Carroll. I suspect that Schneider has had his fill of Mark Rodgers and feels, maybe, it’s time to move on. Get the picks back he’s missing in the next couple of drafts, add a quarterback and build. That’s what GM’s do.

Alternatively, Carroll (ever the optimist) might be backing himself to make things right. It will be his decision, ultimately, on whether to move on. Remember the comment from Mike Silver that suggested if Paul Allen were still with us, Wilson probably would’ve been traded by now? That to me also lends itself to a situation where the front office and Carroll might have a difference of opinion here.

This could also be why Schefter is warning not to rule anything out just yet. It could come down to whether Carroll is presented with a scenario with which he is comfortable — with Schneider, perhaps, fully prepared to move on.

Whether that’s with picks plus Darnold, or with a quarterback in this draft.

And despite the world telling you that all the quarterbacks will go quickly, or that there’s little chance of Justin Fields or Trey Lance falling — I’d encourage people to investigate, watch tape on the pair, study their footwork, anticipation, and ability to process and make up your own minds.

I don’t think it’s totally out of the question Mac Jones goes at #3 and Fields and Lance last a bit longer than most expect.

Personally, I think Kellen Mond has a lot to offer. He can improvise more with his athletic profile and his footwork on his drop needs work — but aside from that his release, anticipation, accuracy and ability to throw under pressure is of a high level. He also has a lot more starting experience (four years at Texas A&M) and he performed very strongly at the Senior Bowl.

Unlike a lot of people, I’ve also taken the time to study Darnold — watching six games from 2019/20. You can read my thoughts here but again — check him out yourself on GamePass (they have all-22) and make your own call.

Either way — this is a situation with Wilson that warrants monitoring, discussing and not dismissing.

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194 Comments

  1. Chase

    A decision has to be made soon. Plain and simple. Whether it be Jamal, Russ, or Bobby, the Hawks MUST find a way to get back into this draft. There are too many holes and uncertain futures to let yet another draft go to waste. I personally don’t mind pursuing Darnold and/or drafting a rookie. As pointed out a couple articles ago its hard enough for a good QB with a good roster to make the superbowl (GB, NO), while simultaneously taking a large portion of the cap on their way to do so. Let alone a good QB with just an ok roster. The roster in its entirety needs to be great from top to bottom, and with a young QB, even if they aren’t a franchise QB, can take a team far deeper into the playoffs than a franchise QB with a bad roster.

    • TomLPDX

      Chase, define “soon.” For me, the decision needs to be made no later than round #1, pick #20 when Chicago is on the clock. Until then, it will remain fluid.

      This enables:
      1. The Bears to include the 2024 #1 pick
      2. The Jets can pick Zach at #2 while keeping Darnold on the roster up until pick #20, where he gets traded for a round 3/4 pick to Chicago, who then turn around and include him as part of the #20 trade (2021 R1, ’22 R1, ’23 R1 and ’24 R1 plus a 2021 R3/R4 (whichever they don’t use for Darnold) and maybe a 2022 R2 or R3. (spitballing here).

      • Chase

        Preferably this would be decided before the draft so we can have a proper plan heading into it. I’m not specifically talking about Russ though. If the hawks go into the draft without trading one of the three, then they are in a spot where they have not done the things necessary to “appease,” Russ, nor have they done the things necessary to prepare for the future. My fear is that if nothing is done, we will be treading into an area where we will continue to be stuck as a franchise for at minimum a year or two more. You can’t have 100 million tied up in QB, LB, and SS and expect to be competitive, with no young players on cheap contracts to help contribute. I trust that PCJS have a plan, but I am not confident that its a good one.

        • TomLPDX

          That’s the scary part…I no longer trust in Pete/John to have a coherent plan. What I laid out in my previous post is something that could be agreed upon by all players prior to the start of the draft and then executed during it…but as we all know, things can and will go wrong. I hope they have multiple contingencies in place.

          • Chase

            Curious to know other peoples thoughts on your trade suggestion. Personally I think that still might not be enough. If the trade that will get the 49ers Mac Jones (or Lance / Fields) was 3 first rounders and a 3rd, then the Russ trade would have to based off of that, no?

            49ers -> Mac Jones
            Dolphins -> Three 1st round picks + a 3rd

            Bears -> Russell Wilson
            Seahawks -> Four 1st round picks + Darnold + a 3rd? Maybe another 2nd? A starter?

            Whatever it is, it needs to get done. Deep down if we trade Russ for 4 1sts and Darnold I would be ecstatic. Having a first this year to trade down and recoup picks and getting a first back next year would be fantastic, alongside having 2 firsts each of the 2 years after. If you trade Adams too then you can really build up the team like you did in 2012 and start to get a top to bottom competitive roster. This of course requires hitting on draft picks but without the pressure of needing to win now they can start drafting talent instead of filling holes.

    • Scot04

      The Bears already offered three 1sts, a 3rd, & 2 players.
      To me adding 2 picks and one less player is not a big altering of the deal.
      Trade that 3rd or 4th to Jets for Darnold.
      Add a 2021 2nd and a 2024 1st.

      Seahawks get their QB (Darnold) to evaluate picks 20&52, +1sts in 22,23,& 24.
      Would be very difficult for Seattle to say no..

      • Submanjoe

        Why are we limited to just first round picks? Chicago or whoever should be offering their entire draft this year minus what they have to give up for Darnold. And then throw in three more 1sts and a little more too. Getting Darnold and one pick this year is a joke. The promise of future picks? How about you give me your Mercedes for a hundred bucks and I’ll give you another hundred next year and then the following year too. I’m sure. As Cha points out, Wilson is a bargain contract wise for the acquiring team. As Rob points out, Seattle has among the fewest players under contract today.

  2. Nathan_12thMan

    It’s really hard for me to believe that Paul Allen, the intelligent business man that he is, would have shipped off the 32 year old HOF bound QB who is the epitome of class, durability and everything a owner could look for in a QB, especially for an underwhelming haul that doesn’t include a clear path to a quality replacement, in favor of a 70 year old HC who hasn’t gotten his team past the divisional round since 2014 and while his “specialty” is defense, hasn’t built a particularly good since his GM got lucky and drafted a bunch of HOF/Ring of Honor players (LOB) in the span of two years.

    I just refuse to believe it. No way he doesn’t back the QB, tell Pete this is his last year (retire or you’re fired after ’21 season) and then hire an offensive-minded HC (an Eric Bieniemy type) and find a good DC to run the defense. I’m not saying I agree with every decision RW would make (Olsen was a bad decision, Antonio Brown would be a disgusting decision, etc) and I’m not saying I wouldn’t miss Pete, but you don’t throw away a HOF QB in his prime who does nothing but stay healthy for a 70 year old HC who hasn’t done anything in the playoffs but lose for the past 6 years.

    • Trevor

      When was the last time a QB forced a Super Bowl winning Coach / GM out of town when they have won a Super Bowl and have made the playoffs 8 of the last 10 seasons? Also Russ had nothing to do with those last 6 seasons of early playoff exits?

      I think Pete has too much power and things need to be switched up but Russ and his 20% of salary cap contract have every bit as much responsibility for the playoff failures as the coach IMO.

      • Nathan_12thMan

        When was the last time a franchise got rid of their star, HOF bound quarterback whose in his prime? Has that EVER happened? To me that would be a BIG indictment on Pete Carroll’s legacy. In the long run it could very well be what he’s most remembered for, especially if RW happens to go somewhere and their org turns into a legit contender and even wins a Superbowl in the next few years where as SEA falls apart and becomes a 9-8 team until PC retires at 73-75 years old, having never found a true quality QB to replace RW to take them to 11-6 or better and winning in the playoffs.

        And yes, RW played a part in those playoff loses, of course. But we know and don’t know factors from the HC that impact RW. Stuff like having drilled into his head to be extremely careful with the ball. Also decisions like PC running heavily in ’18 and ’19 in our playoff loses. Not to mention PC’s defense giving up 30!!! points to a crap QB like Goff who had a broken thumb. Lol.

        The QB salary cap thing is becoming WAAAY overblown and used way too often. It’s not completely unimportant but it’s not nearly as meaningful as lots of fans are playing it out to be. Also your comment is just straight up wrong, the QB being 20% of the cap is not “every bit as much responsible for the playoff failures as Pete”. That’s just WRONG.

        • vbullen65

          Would you consider Joe Montana still in his prime when he went to Kansas City? If I remember correctly, didn’t he have a couple of good years (AFC Championship Game)?

          • Tomas

            “Back in the day,” Fran Tarkenton going from the Vikings to the Giants is perhaps the best example I can think of – a shocker at the time. The Eagles trading Sonny Jurgenson to the Redskins is perhaps another example. Both trades seemed splendidly stupid … but unloading Wilson in favor of Pete would be far worse in my opinion.

        • Dani

          When was the last time an elite QB won a super bowl while eating >15% of the cap space? This ageism thing with Pete is getting really old. Why do you bring age here? That has got nothing to do with his performance as a HC. He, like, every other HC has limitations/issues. Russ, like any other QB has issues/limitations (more than other elite QBs of his stature). If you are saying PC is solely responsible for Seahawks failure to get to playoffs, I would recommend you look at Russ’s stats in the 2nd half of every season post 2016. Also, take a look at JS’s draft picks last 4 years. As for Paul Allen’s comment, don’t believe everything national media spews. You can’t be that naïve.

          Every one of them – PC, JS and Russ have room for improvement here. And FYI – Russ isn’t gonna win any SB rings with any GM/HC combo while he chasing the highest paid tag. For all his talk about being like Brady, start with the obvious solution – Football is a team sport and so surrounding yourself with talent is important and relying just on draft is not a way to be successful. Ask Brees, Rodgers and the other elite ones.

    • Rob Staton

      It depends what his opinion of Mark Rodgers and the way he operates is

      • Nathan_12thMan

        What about what Rodgers is doing is that offensive that would tip the scales for Paul to choose the HC over the QB?

        Rodgers and RW seem to see flaws we have all seen and called out about the Seahawks (especially regarding PC) and RW is fed up. It seems they’ve tried to keep stuff in house, with RW going to the FO and asking them what their plan is for the OL and him saying he wants big weapons. Can you blame RW? Look at what happened last year when Tyler got hurt again, I would be disgusted by us adding Antonio Brown but RW is right that the ’20 season [& honestly the ’19 season] were massively hurt by not having a good WR3 which Brown would have easily been. What did the FO tell him? “Trust us”. Trust the FO that hasn’t had a good draft in what, 9 years? The FO that has given him BAD pass pro for all but one of his years in SEA? He’s on pace to be the most sacked QB ever, isn’t he? Yes a decent chunk of that is on him but when they’re signing Webb, Sowell, Aboushi and the like to be starters you can’t expect anything other than bad OL play.

        So what did Rodgers due to attempt to create positive change for his client? Use their last, biggest weapon; going public. All RW even said when he talked to the press was I want better protection and more weapons. Reports say he wants some control of how the team is built (ala Lebron & Brady) which isn’t ideal but it’s not insane. I believe it was also reported he thinks PC has too much power (aka no boss) which is completely fair. There was also a report they hadn’t talked in weeks. So all in all I just don’t see what Rodgers is doing that would be so offensive to Allen. Most of what RW/Rodgers is saying is completely accurate and the wanting some roster control is just a report but let’s assume it’s true, is that really enough to get rid of him for a underwhelming trade haul that doesn’t provide a path to a quality QB?

        BTW my tune changes if say he was open to going to a team that was loaded and we were getting a kings ransom. I’m not saying I’d say “screw you RW you’re gone” if there’s a chance the relationship can be repaired, but I’d be way more open to moving on. The Bears package, getting Darnold, letting RW walk and never having a bad enough record to get a top 5 pick… all are extremely underwhelming if not down right gross to imagine for me.

        • Rob Staton

          What about what Rodgers is doing is that offensive that would tip the scales for Paul to choose the HC over the QB?

          How about seven years of being a massive pain in the arse?

          Threats that this is his last contract in Seattle.

          Undermining the coach, team.

          • Nathan_12thMan

            To me all of that is fair game except the undermining the coach/team aspect. Even that though I sorta get. The GM has done a poor job for years coaching and the HC has done a poor job for years at his specialty (defense, secondary) and a poor job doing anything meaningful besides winning regular seasons. I don’t blame RW one bit for wanting change or he’s gone, be it a trade or playing out his contract and signing elsewhere.

            From what I’ve read front offices have been just as ruthless and pains in the players asses. QB’s leveraging their power in a sport where the owners and FO’s have WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more power than the players is acceptable to me.

            But you’re right, would Paul Allen have found it as acceptable as I do? We’ll never know but I don’t think he’d just be fed up and trade him after having done barely any reconciliation work (if any). Not for the franchises most valuable asset in franchise history (asset, not player. More valuable than everyone but ownership).

            • Roy Batty

              I think the moment Russ opened his mouth and complained about the situation (while on a promo tour for charitable works via the Walter Payton Award)…yeah, I can see Paul Allen calling BS and summoning him to his Lake Washington home for a little ass chewing. Vulcan Inc. is was molded by Allen to get what he wanted, when he wanted it. A media-darling QB would have been a speed bump for Allen.

            • Tomas

              Nathan, you speak the absolute, stone-cold truth in my view. Keeping Pete over Wilson is tantamount to booting a prime-time Mick Jagger from the Stones to appease the band’s manager.

              • Tomas

                And good luck finding that new singer.

              • Rob Staton

                But that’s not the argument here.

                It’s whether Paul Allen would side with John Schneider, assuming I’m right, and make a call.

                • Nathan_12thMan

                  I wonder if Allen was alive we wouldn’t even be in this mess to begin with. Would he have been okay with this sustained failure to get past the divisional round? The consistently poor drafts? The flaws in the team building and running that year after year present themselves and cost the team wins and deeper playoff runs?

                  I think if there was any owner in the NFL to fire a HC like Pete, even with the success he was having in the reg season, it would be Allen. So I don’t think we even have to wonder about what Allen would do in this situation because he wouldn’t have let it get to this point. He would have replaced PC at some point in the past 2 years.

            • Dani

              Bringing family business into the public is never a good thing. No matter how much you disagree, you don’t see elite QBs doing this publicly like Russ has. If I am Paul Allen, I am thinking, he’s bringing the #Seahawks franchise to a mud slinging public fight and Paul Allen hated that. I agree with Rob that this kind of public posturing won’t be tolerated.

  3. Volume12

    Keep an eye on Ohio St EDGE Johnathon Cooper on day 3. Has a TON of NFL traits.

    And he doesn’t have great hands, never stopped Seattle before, but I think they’ll like NC WR Dyami Brown. Most 20+ yard receptions since ’19.

    • Volume12

      I like them Syracuse DBs too.

      • dcd2

        With you on the Cuse DB’s. Melonfawu, Trill and Cisco are all super intriguing.

        Have you watched much of Kelvin Joseph (KU)? Rob has him much higher than most boards, and I see why. He looks solid (pro day is tomorrow).

        • Volume12

          Only a little bit of Joseph, but I liked what I saw.

          • dcd2

            Seems like a deep draft at CB. There are 15-20 corners that I would be pretty excited about taking.

            Same with WR.

            Looks like a nice deep class at a number of positions. Crap year to be stuck with 3 picks.

            • Volume12

              It is. Big fan of this years corner class. Same w/ WR, but we’re beginning to say that every year at this point lol.

              A ton of day 3 guys this year too. I’ll be surprised if they only draft 3 times. They should be able to get a bunch of priority UDFAs that way, but I’m gonna guess that they see a pocket of talent somewhere this year. Maybe the 4th?

      • uptop

        Big fan of Cooper, has the toughness and the twitch but lacks the size and athleticism to be every down player, he’s an interesting project.

        • Volume12

          Absolutely. I can see why teams are starting to view him as a SAM.

    • Rob Staton

      Lacks length though

    • Starhawk29

      I’m with you on Brown. Caught a few UNC games, and he popped off the screen. Reminds me a little of Will Fuller in that he’s a real deep threat, but his hands are iffy.

    • Blitzy the Clown

      Cooper reminds me of John Simon.

      • Rob Staton

        Let’s not go crazy here…

  4. Craig Hallett

    To me, this is the only deal involving Darnold which might make sense for all parties (well, as much sense as possible considering we’re discussing trading a HOF-caliber QB in his prime)

    Seattle:
    Gives Russell Wilson
    Gets Sam Darnold, 1.20, 2.20, 2022 1st (Chi), 2022 1st (NYJ), 2023 1st (Chi), 2023 3rd (NYJ)

    Chicago:
    Gives Khalil Mack, 1.20, 2.20, 2022 1st, 2023 1st
    Gets Wilson

    New York:
    Gives Darnold, 2022 1st, 2023 3rd
    Gets Mack

    • cha

      Chicago’s restructure made Mack practically untradable.

  5. dcd2

    Certainly worth thinking about. If we are moving towards a separation with RW, that does reconcile with the fact that they aren’t talking to the media, extending or restructuring him, or putting any of these rumors to bed. It is keeping their options open, but you don’t do that if you’re leaning towards keeping him. A tweet from PC doesn’t cost a thing, nor cede any leverage in negotiations.

    I still don’t get excited about Darnold. If his price is dropping to the range of a 4th rounder, I’m much more open to it though. That would at least give you the option of taking a Mond/Mills in the 2nd without feeling like we barely gained any draft capital, while taking a big step back at QB. You also need to figure out what you’re doing with Darnold in a hurry. His 5th year option is like $19M, and needs to be picked up by early May.

    I’m still on team Minshew for a 5th. He’s cheap, has two years of control, can manage a game with a much better TD/TO ratio than Darnold and pull out some occasional magic. He’s got some limitations for sure, but for $800k and a 5th rounder, who cares? Go and get your guy in the draft and if he’s a whiff, you still have a cheap proven QB for two years.

    That said, I’ve seen no smoke for Minshew, but plenty of it for Darnold. Seems like there has to be something to all the chatter, and PCJS must believe in him – at least to an extent.

    • God of Thunder

      Sure but … who will be “your (QB) guy” in the draft, if you are drafting 20th?

      Mond? Mills? Trask? Can’t see it. Mind you I’m not against taking a flyer in later rounds, but these are QBs with holes in their game.

      • Rob Staton

        Mond has fewer holes than some QB’s being touted in the top-10

        • AlaskaHawk

          I watched alot of Texas A&M games last year and love Mond. He’s a good leader and has a good touch with the ball. They had a great season up until they had to face Alabama, but Alabama is loaded with great players at every position. I feel like Mond has been battle tested in college. I think he will make the transition well.

          • IHeartTacoma

            Mond was a four year starter in the SEC. That says a lot more than flinging the ball in your tights at a pro day.

  6. DAVID BENITO

    If there’s a third party needed I would like to see the raiders involved including Mariota with a bunch of picks in a trade bring him back to the NW.

  7. Mike

    Im just curious who or how you would get a better offer than what Chicago gave at this point. The list of eligible teams have gone down. Mack’s structured contract kills Chicagos best player they could deal.

    Why would Russ suddenly be open to a worse team? He listed his spots. What motivation would he have to change his stance? Its probably best for him to stay and deal with Pete again next season than go elsewhere to teams with equivalent/worse rosters, who then will also be without draft picks post-trade.

    I can see them fielding calls and offers and keeping their options open until the draft. I can see them stirring the pot to try and get a kings ransom. But i just dont see how you can get the picks, the replacement QB, the cap space to work for everyone, AND Wilson to sign off on his new situation that is depleted in picks and/or potential difference making players.

  8. Ashish

    Assuming we trade Wilson and get #6.. plus more. We also trade for Sam as a starting QB and draft QB who we can take a chance in either rounds. Suddenly that does not sounds that bad. I like Wilson but some points Rob brought up like teams winning super bowl and their QBs makes me believe that might be good path rather having not happy QB.

  9. Zach Williams

    Rob,

    Appreciate the conversation here and the many questions you raise. We are truly at an impasse, on one hand you have the great Mr. Unlimited and the untenable state of their relationship with him. He has broken rule #1 and in trading him have the potential to right a ship that has been treading water with lots of duct tape… But to do so requires ripping open that hole! Can they plug it before we all drown?!

    Then again, it’s Russell Freaking Wilson! He has brought this franchise to heights never thought possible. So I guess my question is this… What will it take to press the ‘red’ button.

    One thing I never considered was that the 2024 draft becomes in play once the draft starts. This is an interesting caveat to the lack of “draft capital” Chicago has… if they can make it a combination of 4 1st/2nd/3rd round picks things are a bit more attractive.

    Ultimately, to me, whatever move you choose you make to “double down” on vision and philosophy. The problem in my opinion is if you want to win forever, I don’t know if you can do it without Wilson. He is just too good and has a 10 win floor (9+ technically, but let’s ignore that). With Darnold or Mond I see an 8-9 win team until proven otherwise. Do you know the mental make-up of Mond? Wilson has an ELITE mentality– the guy named his own son WIN for goodness sake. What about Mond? Does he have that edge? Darnold is a happy-go-lucky guy from my understanding… Is he someone you believe in from a pure leadership standpoint?

    I wonder if you have post coming up for us where you play with these two worlds? Seahawks with Wilson, Wagner, Adams and their dismal draft stock (I’m assuming the only trade chip is Wilson tbh).

    and then the flip, Wilson is traded the day of the draft and Pete and John get Darnold and start the re-build.. because if Wilson is gone you are re-building. You just hope you can do it faster or more efficiently than with duct taping the roster year after year.

    Ultimately, which world do you want to live in? I guess I’d kick the can down the road and try to win with Wilson this year… As I type it I shudder at only picking once in the top 100 though.

  10. cha

    Reposting for the ‘Chicago made a fair offer for Russ’ crowd…

    https://seahawksdraftblog.com/you-just-cant-keep-ignoring-this#comment-567998

    I keep getting the feeling that a significant talking point is not being covered in the media or from the Seattle side or the Chicago or other trade partner side.

    The $39m dead cap hit this year means the trading team gets Russell Wilson at a significant salary bargain.

    2021 cap hit: $19m salary
    2022 cap hit: $19m salary + $5m roster bonus = $24m
    2023 cap hit: $22m salary + $5m roster bonus = $27m

    For 2021, that means they’ll be paying a top 5 QB the AAV of the #18 QB.

    Put another way, about half the AAV of Mahomes, Watson and Prescott.

    They also have the flexibility to push about $12m of RW’s 2021 salary to future years, so they’d only pay him $7m in 2021 and only increase the next two years by $6m each.

    With the news that TV revenues for the deal just signed will be doubling, by the time RW’s current contract is up, he will be even further down the food chain on AAV for a QB.

    Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, maybe even Jalen Hurts and Sam Darnold will surpass RW in AAV.

    Russ is a significant bargain. Everyone loves to point out the huge bite a QB salary takes out of your cap. The team acquiring Russ isn’t burdened with that problem for three seasons.

    Just purely from that standpoint, the Seahawks were right to turn down the Bears’ rubbish offer.

    Draft picks be damned. You’re getting one of the best players in the NFL for about 60 cents on the cap dollar. That’s insane value.

    Any trade proposal worth considering will need to recognize that.

    • BobbyK

      You’re absolutely right. You’ve posted that several times and some people don’t seem to understand the situation how valuable Russ would be to the Bears when they don’t have to pay him nearly market value. That in itself makes him much more valuable.

      I’d like Aaron Donald on the Seahawks, but I wouldn’t want him if the Seahawks had to pay him $45 million in 2021. That’d ridiculous. Opposite of that – how valuable would Donald be on the Seahawks making $5 million in ’21? The compensation we would be willing to give in either scenario would be drastically different.

      DK is the ultimate value right now. He’s a legit and ascending superstar making peanuts. He’s a great deal. However, when it comes to extension time – he’s going to be like Megatron, Julio Jones, etc. A great WR who gobbled up too much of a team’s salary cap and never won a Super Bowl.

    • Sea Mode

      Not if they go the “Russ pays back his bonus and the team acquiring him compensates him for it” route…

      • cha

        Right. But if they did it that way, the Seahawks then have gobs of cap room and still would have plenty of proceeds from the RW trade to make moves.

    • Scot04

      It’s a great point that only should add to the return for Wilson.
      It sure makes 4 1sts, a 2nd, & Darnold sound reasonable.
      Chicago can send a 3rd or 4th to the Jets.
      Too many undervalue that inherited contract as you said.

  11. Gaux Hawks

    serious question: why not miami? great team, big market, not going to break the back (they’ll still have R1s), etc. just because there’s a young d-minded coach?

    • Comfect

      I assume because Russ hasn’t said he’s willing to go there.

      • Purpleneer

        I think that is the question. Why isn’t he open to Miami.
        Honestly, the choice to be so limiting is a bad sign that he cares too much about his legacy and having the stats to get the credit.

        • Rob Staton

          I suspect he’s not open to Miami because they have a conservative Belichick disciple as Head Coach and two random guys as co-offensive coordinators

          Where as New Orleans has Payton, Vegas has Gruden and Chicago has an Andy Reid disciple who got to 12 wins with Mitchell Trubisky

          • Purpleneer

            That’s my point. Flores is widely seen as a great young coach, with a great outlook for the team and resources to handle what they would give up. If it was about a good window to win titles, they would make loads of sense. His offensive-minded head coach requirement is unwisely limiting, a sign that he values getting the credit, and makes it way more likely that he settles for sticking with the extremely stubborn and conservative PC.
            The thing that Belichick actually teaches is the kind of schematic adaptability that makes Pete pucker.

            • Rob Staton

              You’re not being honest about the situation though

              I just laid out why he picked the four teams he did. All established offensive coaches. You can’t then call it ‘limiting’ because he doesn’t fancy working for Will Farrell and John C. Reilly as the ‘co-offensive coordinators’ in Miami

              It’s not about credit. It’s about going somewhere that is serious about offense

              • Gaux Hawks

                …sounds ideal place to have more influence on play calling ; )

                • Purpleneer

                  This. And I’ll take serious about winning titles over serious about offense. The share “serious about offense” has is another debate, but I’d argue Chicago has a weaker title outlook than Miami under their coaching regimes.

    • BobbyK

      Not many people seem to care about their legacy more than Russ.

      Dan Marino was and is the Miami Dolphins for an entire generation of Fish fans. Even if Russ wins a Super Bowl there, unlike Marino, he’ll never be seen as better than #13. That’s his turf.

      The Bears suck at QB. They have for decades. Russ wants to be worshipped. Vegas has no history, Brees only won one with the Saints but did so with the current coach who is an offensive wizard (and still there), while the other team was “America’s Team.”

      • AlaskaHawk

        I think your overplaying the Marino card. People in Florida just want a winning team, preferably with a quarterback from a Florida or Southern college. But for now, Tampa Bay will do quite well.

  12. Sea Mode

    Gabe Jackson live now on press conference:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P5eOyGgzPE&ab_channel=SeattleSeahawks

    Gabe just said they extended his contract a little with respect to the one he had in Vegas.

    • Sea Mode

      Interesting tidbits:

      – Supposedly Seattle called him at the end of R2 to tell him they were NOT taking him at that spot and going in a different direction. (they ended up taking Britt). Interesting to know he was also a strong option, perhaps even to the point that they had told him during the process that they were planning on taking him.

      – Art actually asked him about being ejected last season for stomping on Suh and painted it as “something the majority of NFL players would probably like to do. How did that come about and was it worth it?”. 😳

      • Rob Staton

        Not surprised they were in on Gabe Jackson

        3.05 on TEF

        34 inch arms

        Would’ve been a better pick too…

        • Hoggs41

          I figured they reworked his contract somehow. Curious to see how the numbers came out.

        • Sea Mode

          I think they went for the “versatility” thing again for a guy they thought could play tackle. We all know how that ended up…

          Hopefully Damien Lewis is a sign that they’ve moved past that now in favor of better players at their natural position (for their starters, I mean; backups should have positional versatility).

          • Volume12

            I wonder if bringing on Hutch as a draft consultant has changed any of that

            • DC

              Did they really?!?
              Hutch you bastard, I luv ya

  13. Rob Staton

    My interview with Joe Fann will be published on Thursday FYI

  14. Rob Staton

    Justin Fields throwing mechanics 10x better for his pro-day

    Clearly he has spent a lot of time sorting them out

    Now the question is — does he revert to bad habits in a normal play-setting? Because his mechanics are brutal on tape. The long stride, the elongated release

    • Big Mike

      FWIW, Bucky Brooks on Cowherd today said (paraphrasing) he’s the QB not named Lawrence most likely to succeed in the NFL.

      • Rob Staton

        I don’t agree with that

        I think that’s a much more complex conversation that suggested

    • BruceN

      I just listened to a segment on the local radio in NorCal who had one of the well known local beat writers on. He presented his case that Justing Fields is a better choice for the Niners over Jones and he thinks they will likely draft him.

      • Rob Staton

        Well that’s me convinced

        I guess I didn’t need to watch all those hours and hours of tape

        • BruceN

          I wasn’t suggesting he was right. Just repeating what I heard and thinking no one has a clue who they will pick (except Lynch and Kyle). . For the record, I agree with your observation that Fields is not a perfect fit for Kyle’s precise timing offense. I think of him as more of a RW light (until he proves otherwise). And Russell is not exactly a precise timing, go thru progression quick QB.

          • BruceN

            p.s. darn butter finger, Justin not Justing…

  15. Rob Staton

    I love Najee Harris’ interviews

    https://twitter.com/PFN365/status/1376994738180612103

    • Rohan Raman

      Najee is cold on and off the field.

    • Sea Mode

      Impressive and fun interview. Kind of talks like Cam Jordan…

    • Matt

      He’s so very impressive. He really understands the game. Fun personality like Marshawn.

  16. Volume12

    Kiper has LB Jamin Davis in his top 15? Wtf

    • Rob Staton

      Good grief

  17. Sea Mode

    This guy… 🤣

    First the army crawl, now this?

    https://twitter.com/TampaBayTre/status/1376955803131842561

    • Sea Mode

      Turns out he was just heeding his agent’s advice…

      SportsTrust Advisors
      @_SportsTrust
      ·1h

      We told @Landon_2012 not to do drills at Pro Day… so he did cartwheels instead 😂👏

    • cha

      Andy Dwyer energy

      https://youtu.be/NaaiV0qeZZI

  18. dcd2

    Nice numbers from Baron Browning.

    LB Baron Browning
    6026
    245
    9 7/8
    33 1/2
    79
    4.58/4.59
    40.0
    10-10
    4.23
    6.78
    23 reps

    • Sea Mode

      More than just “nice”; these are incredible!

      • dcd2

        Yep. He’s the kind of guy the Hawks would love too.

        I wouldn’t even be mad if we took him in the 2nd, and planned for life after Bobby. Throw in a spicy draft day trade with Bobby to the Browns for a 3 & 4, so that we can grab St Juste and a DT too.

        Never going to happen, but it’s fun to ‘what if’.

    • Rob Staton

      As expected all along

      SPARQ really is a tell a lot of the time

      • Sea Mode

        Here’s another we expected. I bet he got the 1.5s split too with that kind of 40 time and explosive jumps:

        EDGE Joe Tryon
        6050
        259
        10 1/4
        34
        82 3/4
        4.64/4.69
        35.0
        9-8
        4.36
        7.18
        22x

  19. Sea Mode

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    ·1h

    Free agent CB Quinton Dunbar, most recently of the #Seahawks, has two visits scheduled for next week: He’s set to visit the #Lions and #AZCardinals, source said. He’s been waiting for the right opportunity, but it all ramps up soon.

    Adding what Cha posted already on last thread:

    Dugar, Michael-Shawn
    @MikeDugar

    Dunbar wrote in response to a comment about the seahawks that the two sides have had “good talks” and “they want me back I love it there.”

    9:19 AM · Mar 30, 2021

  20. cha

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    Along with the trade, the #Seahawks gave G Gabe Jackson a 3-year, $22.575M extension, source said, which includes a $9M signing bonus. Jackson gets $7.075M in additional guarantees. A nice payday from his new team.
    1:54 PM · Mar 30, 2021

    • Sea Mode

      There it is. Not an “extension” an top of his current deal though, right?

      • cha

        Joe Fann
        @Joe_Fann
        Per source, Gabe Jackson’s new 3-year, $22.575 million extension with the #Seahawks begins immediately. It’s a brand new deal. He is now under contract through 2023. (previously 2022 under his old deal)
        2:00 PM · Mar 30, 2021

    • cha

      This probably takes about $2-4m off his 2021 cap hit, depending on how they structured it.

      • Sea Mode

        Jeremy Fowler
        @JFowlerESPN
        ·6m

        Gabe Jackson was due base salaries of $9.35 million over next two years with Raiders before 2023 free agency. Now, he gets $10.075 million this year and base salaries of $6 million and $6.5 million with Seattle (2024 free agency). @RapSheet 1st on Jackson’s new deal

        • cha

          Nice. So looks like 2021 cap hit is $4.075m, which saves them $5.275m in 2021 cap room.

          The 2023 cap hit is $9.5m but $6.5m not guaranteed. They can terminate after two seasons and take only $3m dead hit.

  21. Sea Mode

    Another thing we knew: Elijah Molden is small. Yes, Tyrann Mathieu is even smaller ht/wt, but also has 31 1/8″ arms, whereas Molden has 29 1/2″.

    Anyone know if the hammy was something he already was dealing with heading into the pro day that would have affected his 40 time as well? (4.62/4.59 per Nagy)

    https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1376965649696718848

    • dcd2

      Oooof. TRex arms and a 4.6 – 40?

      I remember seeing a PFF tweet about Molden and Jevon Holland having the best coverage grades in the PAC12 going into last year (so 2019 grades).

      Molden could be all over team’s boards.

      • Matt

        I think this drops him to late Day 2, maybe even day 3…sucks, but slow DBs with no length…not a great combo.

  22. ThickHawk

    Rob,

    While Chicago would certainly love to acquire Russ, if 3rd or 4th will be all it takes to net Darnold, shouldn’t they be all over grabbing him as a Dalton hedge, regardless of their intent/ability to ship him for Russ?

    • Rob Staton

      Not if you can get Wilson

  23. Rob Staton

    $40m cap hit to get rid of Matt Ryan next year

    And people talking about Atlanta taking a QB at #4

    Much more likely to get Ryan a weapon…

    • Sea Mode

      Makes sense. You like Pitts or Chase for them?

      • Rob Staton

        Pitts.

        But if they do go QB I’m more inclined to say it’ll be Lance, just because he seems like he’d be more inclined to sit for two years.

        • Starhawk29

          I think the QB talk is an attempt to foster a trade market, to be honest. “If you want Justin FIelds, better take our pick or he’s ours.”

  24. Sea Mode

    Here’s that hand size more important than arm length applying:

    OC Josh Myers
    6052
    310
    10 3/8
    32
    77 3/8
    29 x
    no testing (foot)

  25. BobbyK

    If Russ is dealt, first of all the Seahawks are stupid. Second, I hope Darnold becomes our next QB. Of all the QBs available, I like him most. Unlike the retreads – he still has potential. He could be like Matt Hasselbeck. A good, solid starting QB capable of winning a Super Bowl with the right supporting cast. I’m not in favor of a bum QB like Blake Bortles, Case Keenum, Jimmy Garbage, Nick Foles, etc. Just because those guys got close once (or won it in the case of Foles; who inherited a home field advantage situation), they suck and the teams they played for knew it. Nobody wants them. I want more at QB than “remember that one time he played QB on a good team?” I want stability. Kind of like what we have now (and are dumb enough to consider trading).

    • Submanjoe

      Well said

  26. BoiseSeahawk

    Divine Deablo has to be the closest Kam comp of 2021, also out of Virginia Tech.
    Height: 6’3 3/8″
    Weight: 226 pounds

    Lets say we trade Jamal Adams to load up on 2021 picks I hope we would consider this kid out of Tech.

    • Rob Staton

      Let’s be right though

      No comp to Kam is accurate

      Unless Deablo is taking souls, he aint Kam

      I don’t think we’ll ever see another Kam

      • BoiseSeahawk

        His name checks out for that.

          • TomLPDX

            Impressive! Love his name…he MUST become a Seahawk!

            • Chase

              How many safeties do we need to have on this roster?

              • BoiseSeahawk

                we need all of the safeties.

              • TomLPDX

                First thing we need to do it get rid of an overpriced safety that played on 3/4ths of the games last year and was rank 53rd overall in the safety group.

                • pdway

                  Copyright claim coming from Big Mike’s lawyer.

                  • TomLPDX

                    🙂

                  • Big Mike

                    😀

      • Hughz

        “Unless Deablo is taking souls”… one of the best lines ever. So true too. Kam was a beast and put fear into his opponents like few others have.

  27. Ukhawk

    I’m intrigued by Darnold and wonder what he’d be like on a Hawks team with a far superior offense to the Jets. Probably going to be slated for this but to me, he’s got a bit of gunslinger, Farve swagger about him.

    Dare I say I do wonder he may be better fit in terms of the new offense they are planning ? He has the arm strength to make all the throws, gets the ball out in a hurry and was PFFs the most accurate passer at USC on quick throws – second only to Brady all -time in ncaa history. https://www.google.com/amp/s/nflspinzone.com/2018/07/11/new-york-jets-sam-darnold-fit-west-coast-offense/amp/

    For spurts of his Jets career, according to next gen stats, he has ranked very high in passer rating (+90%) when either throwing from a clean pocket or in under 2.5s. To me this speaks to his potential as only a 24 yo QB with 3 years NFL experience because, as with other good to great QBs, they can especially thrive when they get protection and have a supporting run game both of which he has been devoid of on the Jets.

    My biggest question is does JSPC have enough leverage or is there any chance to sign him to a contract extension as part of the trade ? A quality, affordable QB contracted for the mid term might be a great way to lead into a team rebuild.

  28. Hoggs41

    Updated cap hits for 2021:

    Carson…$2.5m
    Bellore…$1.7m
    Everett…$4m
    Jackson…$4.075m (unless there is void years)
    Pocic…$2m
    Ogbuehi…$1.79m
    Simmons…???

    Ford…$2.67
    Hyder…$1.95
    Mayowa…$2.24
    Witherspoon…$4m
    Dunlap…(we know its $8.5m guaranteed)
    Woods…($3m but numbers not out yet)

    After we released Reed we had about $26m in space with 49 contracted players. When you add in these players this is about what our cap space looks like.

    Start: $26m

    Players who’s cap hits we know: $26.9

    Players who were replaced in the top 51: remove $5.3m

    Total remaining cap space left minus Dunlap, Woods and Simmons: $4.4m

    • Sea Mode

      Thanks for keeping this going for us.

  29. cha

    Just a quick look at the cap. If OTC is up to date on all the other players, Gabe Jackson’s details means the Hawks have approx $3.5m of cap room in 2021. Between the rookie pool and injury money, you can call that $0.

    They also have about $47m of movable cap space + a possible $12m from a RW restructure.

    So what are they waiting for? Why not create some more space?

    I figure a RW trade that brings Darnold back will hit their cap to the tune of at least $16m.

    $7m for RW’s dead cap markup
    $4.774m for Darnold’s 2021 cap hit
    $4.5m or so for the 2021 draft pick salaries gained

    plus any 2021 cap for veteran players they acquire in the trade

    There’s about $2m or so fun money that can be picked up as the draft picks and veterans acquired push the bottom 46-51off the cap consideration.

    It is possible they’ve done what they can in free agency and now are waiting to see what becomes of the QB’s Pro Days, the market and the offers they get for Russ before they make decisions on Lockett, Brown, Wagner, Adams, etc.

    • Sea Mode

      I’m not so sure any more the Bears could even offer enough. What’s the absolute minimum you all would accept (and what would you actually hope for)?

      • cha

        It’s hard to say if Chicago is honestly serious about landing him. Taking Khalil Mack off the table was a huge turnoff for me. If you’re not giving me your best player, why should I give you my best player, who is more important and more valuable than your best player?

        And you know Chicago isn’t in the top 10 of the draft this year, and won’t be if they acquire Russ.

        Those are two big roadblocks.

        So absent those two big trade chips, you’ve got to make up for it in volume.

        I think a deal of this magnitude will require creativity. For me it’s not just matching up the picks and players I think will work. It’s being open to options that I might not be able to visualize.

        • Hoggs41

          The rookie pool money is very minimal once you remove the player they are replacing. The injury and practice squad money isnt needed until the games actually start. They can gain this money needed with extensions which they usually do in the summer. They only restructure if its absolutely necessary and at this point it isnt. Will it be in the future? Maybe.

          • cha

            The rookie pool money is very minimal once you remove the player they are replacing.

            I covered that.

            They only restructure if its absolutely necessary and at this point it isnt.

            Restructuring is only one of several pathways to getting more cap room.

      • Scot04

        Bears aquire Darnold.
        Trade him; 4 1sts, & pick 52 as well to Seattle.
        Seems about as good as it could get.

        • IHeartTacoma

          but…. if you had Darnold, 4 1sts, and 52, why give them all up for RW?

          • Scot04

            Your basically adding another 1st and 2nd subtracting a player. If they had higher 1sts then I would agree they would likely say no. We’re talking pick 17 then 3 picks in the 20s.

            So If you’re just looking at in draft capital. 4 1sts, a 2nd, & a (3rd or 4th)
            They already offered 3 1sts, a 3rd, & 2 players.

            Pretty comparable if one of the players originally offered was Khalil Mack. Supposedly Mack was originally there. But extension killed that.

            I could see the Jets giving Darnold and their next 4 1sts for Watson; & They have better picks

      • Submanjoe

        All their picks this year minus what they have to give up for Darnold, three more 1sts, plus a 2nd next year and a player…

    • dcd2

      Where is this $47M in movable cap space coming from?

      Also, won’t restructuring RW’s deal just add to his dead cap?

      I don’t see a ton of ways to create cap space that are no-brainers. Particularly with how averse they’ve been to giving longer deals.

      Brown, Lockett, Diggs extensions seem like the best routes. Is that your conclusion as well?

      • cha

        I’m saying, if your QB may not be here in 2021, you may not want to extend or trade some of these guys to free up more room. Trading Russ is a franchise altering trade. Other moves can wait.

        Also, won’t restructuring RW’s deal just add to his dead cap?

        Massively. It’s an obvious route to take and the Seahawks haven’t yet. Which as Rob has pointed out, signals they’re keeping their options open.

        I don’t see a ton of ways to create cap space that are no-brainers. Particularly with how averse they’ve been to giving longer deals.

        Trading Adams opens up $9.86m.

        Trading Wagner opens up $9.65m.

        You could convert Wagner’s salary to bonus and push as much as $6m of Wagner’s cap to 2022 and then cut or trade him in 2022.

        Brown and Lockett have $21m non-guaranteed salary on the 2021 books. Extensions opens up all kinds of 2021 cap room.

        I’m not saying they can, or will, or even should make all these moves. I’m just saying the opportunity is there if they want to go that route.

        And I’d argue they’ve taken a step in that direction already by utilizing void years.

    • drrew76

      “So what are they waiting for? Why not create some more space?”

      What would they need to create space for right now?

      Why wouldn’t you leave things as is until/unless you need to?

      • cha

        They still have needs.

        • drrew76

          Sure, but you make the space available when you have a match with a player.

          That might be tomorrow, or in a week, or in a month. I’m not understanding what the logic would be in opening up space today unless you’re going to use it today.

          • Rob Staton

            You’re kidding yourself if you think they’re sat waiting for the moment to strike here

            If they were inclined to wait for deals to be done before restructuring — those deals WERE done. They cut Jarran Reed instead of restructuring

      • Rob Staton

        Errrrr…

        To sign more players in free agency when they were available?!?!?

        Especially given you have no picks!

        • drrew76

          Sure, they have several needs, but there doesn’t seem to be any value in just having open space for the sake of it.

          You make the space when it’s needed to complete a signing, what would be the value in making space early?

          • Rob Staton

            They just had to cut Jarran Reed to make space

            They chose to cut a player of value rather than restructuring

            Come on

  30. Zxvo3

    Check out Kellen Mond with this throw! Insane arm talent.
    https://twitter.com/thekellenmond/status/1377006403953557505?s=21

    • TomLPDX

      Did Seattle even send anyone to TAMU for Mond’s proday?

      https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/03/30/kellen-mond-i-dont-mind-being-underrated/

      I really like Kellen, he has grown on me through the years.

      • Brik

        I don’t think he’s gonna be there for our 2nd round pick. My thought is we wait to see where the chips fall in the draft, and if we can get him, then at #20 we make the trade with Chicago. I don’t see why we would have to send someone if they can make a video, and they could be trying to hide their move in this situation. Since they don’t send someone then it appears we aren’t interested, maybe he drops lower to where we can get him. Just speculation on my part, if this is who they want. Did David Mills have his pro day yet? They did go see Trey Lance.

  31. BobbyK

    Pete Carroll came into the NFL with a long-term vision. He gutted the roster and did things his way. He knew he had a couple of years to play with. It worked out perfectly.

    Ever since, his long-term vision has vanished to band-aids in the name of “comPete” or “Win Forever.” Basically, bullsh!t.

    He has a franchise QB which basically means most incompetent fools get free passes in terms of getting fired because the franchise QBs are so good they alone prevent teams from dismal records worthy of getting coaches fired over.

    Now, I am starting to believe what I’ve never believed. Trading said franchise QB might be for the best.

    Hear me out:

    comPete isn’t going anywhere. And he can’t win without superior talent. He’s proven that. Hell, he had superior talent in Super Bowl 49 and still lost, imo.

    The only way he can get superior talent again is to trade his franchise QB.

    All of this sucks. But it is what it is. Welcome to our new reality. At least we’ll always have 2013.

    • BruceN

      Just an observation, listening to the local sports pundits in the Niner country, they have a much higher opinion of JS/PC and Seahawks in general than some of the Seahawk fans on this blog do for them. Having read a number of other teams blogs, I would say that perspective is consistent.

      • Rob Staton

        They also don’t pay anywhere near as much attention as we do

        • BruceN

          You’re the only one here that does this for a living or close to it (I’m still baffled by how much time and energy you put into this and I applaud and appreciate what you do). The rest of us are weekend warriors just having fun. So I value their opinion as professionals. Lastly, any GM worth their salt has to know about the other teams because they have to keep up with their competition.

        • Pran

          i dont know why a great coach like Pete did not see this drama coming while fans could see. either he turned in to a Tom coughlin or he lost his mojo and fans just will have to wait it out till the franchise is sold like Rob called out.

          Its a pity Russ has to call out coach publicly and ask to be traded yet nothing gives, compare this to Rodgers and McCarthy situation. Rodgers got what he wanted without making a fuss publicly. Russ is not in Arod’s league and it shows.

        • Tomas

          Good point.

      • TomLPDX

        No offense, Bruce, but you haven’t been paying attention if you believe that.

        • BruceN

          I am definitely no expert. I think they have made many many errors and they drive me crazy at times.. Their drafting strategy to try outsmart everyone, constructing the roster, not scheming to their talent (e.g. trying to force Graham to be a blocker), not adjusting to the other teams game plan and countering as quickly as they should, etc. I can go on and on. But in totality they are the second most successful franchise during their run and are considered in much higher regards by their peers than we give them credit for. To me it is not a binary decision (they are either SB champs or fools). JMHO.

          • Gaux Hawks

            + 1

      • CaptainJack

        In this case, familiarity breeds contempt.

  32. Trevor

    For all the Hawks fans that think Russ is simply irreplaceable I don’t think the league looks at him in nearly the same light. Think about it his agent went on national media and said he would like to get traded to 4 teams the Bears, Raiders, Cowboys and Saints. So if he is the be all end all saviour why did none of the teams jump at the chance to trade for him.

    Raiders – No thanks we’re good with Derrick Carr and Marcus Marriota. Not even an offer

    Saints- No thanks we’re good with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. No offer

    Cowboys- In a two year stalemate with Dak over contract. Next day after Russ puts them on list they say this drama is the last thing we need and sign Dak to a mega deal despite his injury.

    Bears- We have no QB and our GM and coach will be fired if we don’t make the playoffs this year. We are desperate but all we will offer is 3 late 1st round picks a 3rd and two veterans we plan to cut. SF offered that much to move up 9 spots in the draft this year to draft the 3rd best rookie QB in this draft.

    I think Russ and Rodgers way over played their hand and now JS would love to move on but no one is even making a decent offer. The Hawks are stuck with Russ and the drama and Russ is stuck with the Hawks because he is not getting control over the offense or roster decisions anytime soon. He will just have to suck it up and play and Rodgers will put out his passive aggressive media leaks whenever there is any problem. Going to be a long year I think.

    • Gaux Hawks

      …i hope Miami will throw the kitchen at us!

    • dcd2

      Pretty much, yep.

    • Matt

      No offense…but you’re acting like RW is a free sample at Costco that these teams turned down. There is a STEEP cost to be paid in order to get him. To pretend “oh he’s not all that” because teams haven’t offered 3+ First Rounders + a bunch of players is some sort of slight…I don’t get it.

      Maybe we should just cut RW? I mean he’s not worth it – so might as well cut bait with that overpriced mediocrity and build the team a different way. Heck, we could probably just resign him on the cheap once nobody else signs him?

      • Purpleneer

        So you’re just saying that the price shouldn’t be what some folks think it should. If it’s stupid to make the crazy offer, it stands to reason that the offer wouldn’t have to be too close to be good enough or even stupid to refuse. When you consider that someone might actually think they can use a player better, it should be easy to find a price that works for both sides.

        • Matt

          Ok…you guys are treating this situation like he’s just an expensive free agent. This type of deal has *never* happened and the implications for both franchises is monumental. Truly monumental. Jobs and futures of franchises are on the line. This isn’t just trading a great pass rusher. This is the face of a franchise at the price of almost all of your valuable draft capital in which BOTH sides have to get it right.

          For the team wanting RW – they have to be sure they have a team in place that can compete. Going 7-9 and being the 8th best QB won’t be good enough.

          For the Seahawks – they may get a bunch of picks, but if it turns into LJ Collier, Rashad Penny, etc…they will be out of a job.

      • Trevor

        What I am saying is teams would prefer to go with Winston, Carr, Dak and Dalton at QB than make a great offer to the Seahawks for Russ. A player, real estate, car whatever asset is only worth what people are willing to pay for it and we have seen what teams are willing to offer for Russ that is what I am saying . I never anywhere said he was not a good / great QB or we should cut him so not sure where that is coming from.

        • Matt

          You are using standard market principles in an example that would truly be a market first in the NFL. Nobody has ever traded for a HOF QB in his prime. So yes, at the 80K foot level you are right, but the situation requires so much more nuance than “nobody wants him.”

          This isn’t just a big contract – it’s massive draft capital as well, which is a huge investment that no team has ever done. Far, far more complicated than what you’re making out to be, which is a simple dollars/cents calculation. There are massive implications on both sides (money, draft picks, marketing, etc), which again, has never happened in the NFL.

          And in a comment below you say there are easily 8 QBs you take over Wilson – so why would the Seahawks want him at $35M if he’s nothing more than a slightly above average QB? You make a “market” pitch about his trade value being nothing, so why are you ok paying him 20% of your salary cap? Why wouldn’t the Seahawks just go get Andy Dalton, etc? So when you say “not sure where that is coming from,” you are making an indirect case that RW isn’t worth being on the team, at his current price – hence my comment about just cutting him and maybe resigning him.

    • SeattleLifer

      Pretty solid summation. I’ll take it a step further in wondering would any team in the nfl be willing to trade what would be fair value for Russ. This is unprecedented territory- a future HOF qb whose proven extremely durable, has incredible work ethic and solid intangibles, good off field manners and incredible on field stats/resume all at age 32. The truth is in order to offer a truly good enough package in trade it would severely hamstring a buying team. Sure there are the Miami’s and Jets etc with lots of great capitol upcoming but they’ve still paid a price for all that capitol they’ve acquired both in losing records and traded players etc and if they chose to trade for Russ then they lose much of their ability to replenish their roster with high draft picks/young cheaper talent(and may even have to give a young player up as well).

      The truth is there may never be a fair offer from any team due to the cost that would be incurred to get Russ.

      • Trevor

        So that is why 3 of the 4 teams on his list never even put in a offer? They would prefer to roll with Carr and Winston instead? This is what I mean about Seahawks fans delusion about how much value Russ has.

        • BruceN

          The reason in NFL super stars get rarely traded is that the cost is prohibitive. The other 3 teams are not desperate enough to sell their future and paralyze the organization to trade for Russ. CHI is desperate because the coach and the GM are about to get fired. 2 years ago Russ was selected by his peers as the top player in the league. PFF had him as the top player in the league. So IMHO Russ is valued highly by other teams but not at the steep cost of trading for him.

    • cha

      Dallas, sure they’re out. But I think you’re way too quick to write off the other 3 teams.

      • CaptainJack

        Disagree. The embers of this fire were put out in North Dakota.

        • cha

          Schefter says otherwise

          • CaptainJack

            Good for him

        • Rob Staton

          You’ll know when the fire is out

          And it isn’t

    • Feindt

      Strongly disagree.

      Name me an NFC Player who is a more valuable asset than RW3. Closest one I can think of is Donald, but he is a DT. RW3 is a Top3 player at the most important position in football.

      Cannot believe that the Hawks consider trading him because his agent might be difficult to deal with. If he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t be doing his job.

      • Trevor

        Top 3 QB really? I would take the following 8 QBs over Russ given age, contract and cap hit.

        Mahomes
        Allen
        Rodgers
        Murray
        Watson
        Herbert
        Trevor Lawrence
        Zach Wilson

        • BruceN

          Respectfully disagree.

          Mahomes – definitely
          Allen – let’s see he repeats his performance 2-3 years in a row. I’m still amazed someone can go from 50% accuracy to 70% in a year.
          Rodgers – May be but he is known to throw his teammates under the bus on a regular basis
          Murray – No, not based on the body of the work and accomplishments so far
          Watson – He has a very high upside but hasn’t won anything meaningful yet and has 16-17 lawsuits pending.
          Herbert – Promising rookie. Let’s see if continues to perform at the same or higher level
          Trevor Lawrence – Rookies are just that, rookies. Exhibit A, JaMarcus Russell #1 overall pick, Ryan Leaf #2 overall pick, Akili Smith #3 overall pick, etc.
          Zach Wilson – See above

          • Big Mike

            Totally agree with you on most of this Bruce

        • Matt

          Weird how Lamar Jackson isn’t on the list…remember when he was MVP? Then he throws up a really mediocre season?

          Things change fast and 5/8 players you list have had only 1 or no great seasons. And 1/3 who has had multiple great seasons has 2 dozen lawsuits pending against him.

          I think you are greatly undervaluing a QB who has been consistently good to great for 9 years. You know what you are getting with Russ. You don’t with the majority of your list.

    • IHeartTacoma

      Totally agree, Trevor.

      • AlaskaHawk

        Don’t forget Tom Brady and Lamar Jackson.

  33. Feindt

    If the Hawks would only consider a trade involving Sam Darnold (via Bears or directly) wouldn’t that only drive up the Jets leverage and thus Sam Darnolds value? Can they fleece the Seahawks again?

    Alternative: Darnold would really be only worth a 4th rounder in which case the Jets would probably sit the rookie for one year and rather have the veteran play his last year (did they exercise his option?) which would yield more fruit IMO

  34. GerryG

    Two reasons Russ hasn’t been traded imo:

    He only listed four teams, and those four teams don’t have the best stock.

    It’s very challenging for a team to trade what it would cost to get a top 5 QB on a bargain 3 yr contract AND remain competitive. Chicago has roster holes already, they aren’t gonna be any better off than Seattle without Mack (they obviously realized that and made him untradable) and down 5/6 draft picks. To me, only a team like Miami would really be in position to both have the assets AND be in position to be a contender. And Russ doesn’t want to play there.

    Side note, can’t figure out why he, or anyone would want to play for Gruden.

    • BruceN

      I suspect it got pretty close last time. If CHI was able to include Darnold in the package somehow (thru a trade with the Jets) and changed the two players (I read Seahawks had a choice of a few players) I think PC would’ve made the trade. with all their CAP crunch the fact that they haven’t restructured Russell’s contract yet is telling. They are still weighing their options. For the reasons you mentioned I don’t see how CHI was going to make this trade and still contend with their roster.

  35. Gaux Hawks

    i don’t get the jets. i would be doing everything in my power to send darnold to the hawks… why not throw in a 3rd!

    the hawks 1st next year will be much more valuable with darnold at the helm in 2021 rather than russell. look at how much the cost was to move up only a few spots this year!!

    am i missing something?

    • Big Mike

      I don’t know, maybe they know they fleeced the Seahawks once already and their hopeful they can do it again?

      • AlaskaHawk

        If only the Jets had another safety they could trade for Wilson. Deal done!!!

  36. Sea Mode

    40-yard dash times:

    Justin Fields – 4.44 👀
    Russell Wilson – 4.55
    Cam Newton – 4.59
    Jalen Hurts – 4.59
    Kellen Mond – 4.59

    And this is incredible. A simple flick of the wrist and the ball launches into orbit. 63 yards:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/TheKellenMond/status/1377027687135465475

    • CaptainJack

      Hmm… perfect guy to draft if you’re a team in QB purgatory looking for a backup to groom into a future star. Not going to be the man right away though.

  37. Sea Mode

    Since the conversation has slowed down a bit, back to humorous content for the moment.

    The replies are 🔥😂

    https://mobile.twitter.com/QB1TATT00/status/1376876886328942594

    Also, unrelated, Jamar Chase 41 vert.

    • Rob Staton

      Chase locked in to #5

      • Sea Mode

        Yup. I don’t see anyone skeptical, but just in case I guess:

        Albert Breer
        @AlbertBreer
        ·46m

        For anyone skeptical about Ja’Marr Chase being the first receiver off the board, consider this: Justin Jefferson was the only player to take OROY votes away from Justin Herbert this year. And Jefferson was a clear No. 2 to Chase at LSU in 2019.

  38. Sea Mode

    Think of the data like this that teams must have and how much more that tells them than some 40 in shorts.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1377273941904007173

  39. Sea Mode

    freak 🤤

    Jim Nagy
    @JimNagy_SB
    ·1h

    Official measurements for Florida TE Kyle Pitts:

    6055
    245
    10 5/8👀
    33 4/8
    83 3/8👀

    Jim Nagy
    @JimNagy_SB
    ·1h

    Florida TE Kyle Pitts just posted 10-9 BJ and WR Kadarius Toney 11-4Rocket

    • Big Mike

      I just heard 4.44 40yd. Good Lord. If you’re Atlanta how do you not take him at #4?

  40. Rob Staton

    Schefter also speaking like it’s Mac Jones at #3 with Lance/Fields needing to change their minds

  41. cha

    KABLAM

    Adam Schefter
    @AdamSchefter
    Seattle Seahawks are giving WR Tyler Lockett a four-year, $69.2 million contract extension, including $37M guaranteed, per source.
    9:45 AM · Mar 31, 2021

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