Whether Russell Wilson is traded or not this year, the Seahawks might have to think about drafting a quarterback.
With only four picks it’s not ideal. Especially given Seattle’s long list of needs.
However, there doesn’t seem to be any scenario where drafting a quarterback isn’t somewhat necessary.
An imminent resolution between team and player doesn’t appear likely. Thus, security is required — whether that’s for 2021 or 2022.
The worst case scenario is your left with a backup quarterback with good club control for the next four years. The best case scenario is you’re not totally ill-prepared if a divorce happens over the course of the next 12 months.
As noted in my piece a couple of weeks ago — this is a QB class with a lot of question marks. The players at the top end have limited starts and it shows on tape.
There’s some curious decision making by the top group too. You see Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Justin Fields fail to read wide open developing routes. They also flash incredible, ‘wow’ throws. Especially Wilson and Lance. Arm strength, precision, improvisation. But it’s mixed in with a dose of, ‘what are they seeing/thinking there?’
There isn’t a player in the class, outside of Trevor Lawrence, that you watch and get the same kind of vibe Kyler Murray provided. Watching him you could just detect special qualities. Nobody leaps off the screen in that way. And with the lack of college starts and playing experience, there’s a decent chance there’ll be a significant learning curve for the top rookies. How they navigate through that will be interesting.
I don’t think Mac Jones is a particularly good fit in Seattle. His skill set is well matched, in my opinion, to a timing offense. I think he’s an excellent fit for the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan. Get the ball out quickly, keep everything on schedule. Although he had a lot of completions throwing downfield in 2020, I think that was due to the receivers he played with. He doesn’t have a great arm.
He throws a lot of contested passes, even on a medium-range. I thought he struggled to drive the ball during red zone drills at the Senior Bowl, with tighter windows.
I also think there’s enough noise around Jones to expect he’s going to go quite early in the draft. Mike Tannenbaum insists his floor is #8 and Carolina. I’m not convinced the Panthers are in that market, despite his confident performance under their tutelage in Mobile. I think they’re aiming higher. Even so, I wouldn’t be surprised if a team such as the Niners moved up to get him.
With four quarterbacks possibly going early, what does it leave for the Seahawks?
There are two players I think would be worth investing in.
The first is Davis Mills at Stanford. I do think there’s a chance he will go a lot earlier than many are projecting. He was a highly rated High School recruit for a reason:
Mills has pretty much everything — height, size, poise, athleticism. He looks the part. It won’t be a shock if one of the quarterback-needy teams in the second half of round one, or one of the teams at the top of round two, decide to take a chance on him.
The big knock on Mills is starting experience. He played in just 11 full games for Stanford. It’s very difficult to analyse a player with such a limited résumé.
Compare him to Ian Book with his multiple years as the Notre Dame starter. You can see how he progressed over a long period of time. What mistakes did he correct? How easily has he taken to coaching over numerous seasons? Has he elevated his team? Is he durable? Are there any concerning trends?
With Mills you simply can’t answer any of these questions. You’ve basically got a ball of clay. It’s a high standard of clay and can be moulded into a wonderful vase. Yet how it sets, how it actually looks upon completion, whether it’ll break easily — you’re not going to find out until you get to work on it.
All you can really do is look at what he’s shown in limited action and make a vague projection.
So what does he show?
Mills throws with fantastic touch, even under pressure. He knows how to vary throwing velocity and he has excellent ball placement. He’s patient in the pocket to allow plays to develop, making the right read instead of the first read. He throws to the right areas when targeting receivers who are technically covered, giving his target a chance to make a play, while limiting the risk of a turnover.
He has good pocket mobility, reminiscent of Daniel Jones (minus the long speed). He’s not a big running/scrambling threat when the play breaks down but neither is he a statue incapable of avoiding pressure or extending plays. He can run for first downs when the play breaks down. He’s a frustrating scrambler for opponents, similar to Matt Ryan in his ability to ‘just get enough’.
At SPARQ he ran a 4.32 short shuttle and jumped a 33 inch vertical.
He’s very good at getting the ball out. You see one hitch max and throw. The classical style that avoids issues. Mills moves up into the pocket but keeps his eyes on potential targets rather than dropping his head and taking off. His decision making under pressure is impressive.
His throws are pretty and well delivered. He threw a 56-yard lob on a flea-flicker against Oregon State. He doesn’t have a rocket arm but certainly it’s not average either.
Mills throws the back shoulder with precision. His body position when setting is excellent with his shoulder and knees working in the right areas, allowing him to deliver throws with greater accuracy and punch. His throws to the red line are lofted with the right level of height and placement.
There’s one throw against Washington where the two edge rushers gain early leverage forcing him to step up and across in the pocket to avoid the pressure. He has to scramble into the space but he keeps his eyes downfield, despite the presence of a spying linebacker. Just as he’s about to get hammered in the backfield, he uncorks a perfect pass on the move to a receiver. This was on 3rd and 10, deep inside his own red zone. He converts the first down and moves the chains. It’s a money play, the type that gets you excited. It’s what you want to see given his lack of starting experience.
He also converted a 3rd and 11 against Washington to win the game, with an outstanding throw in tight coverage to the far sideline for a gain of 25.
Personally, I think if Mills was a three-year starter we might be talking about him as a top-10 pick. Sometimes you have to project an opportunity. It’s possible, under greater scrutiny, he will fall short. But how often do you get a chance to take a quarterback with a very high ceiling, without needing to spend a very high pick?
Mills could rise rapidly in the coming weeks. However, if the Seahawks have an opportunity to draft him as a developmental project and/or security against Wilson’s future, I would consider it.
The other player is Kellen Mond. He has 36 starts in the last three seasons for Texas A&M. He has four years of quarterbacking experience in the SEC.
I’m surprised he hasn’t received more attention for his 2020 season. He took a massive step forward in terms of consistency. He led the Aggies to a 9-1 season with the only loss coming against Alabama — where he threw three touchdowns for 318 yards. He orchestrated wins against Florida, Auburn, an improved Arkansas and North Carolina.
I thought Mond was outstanding at the Senior Bowl, based on what I saw. There was a noticeable difference in the way he handled red zone and two-minute drills compared to the other quarterbacks. His arm strength is on a different level. In the game, he had a sluggish start before leading a comeback in the second half with two excellent scoring drives.
He threw the prettiest pass of 2020 for me. A play-action deep shot against Florida right down the post to a covered receiver, yet delivered on the money for a 50-yard gain. When you watch it from the All-22 angle, it’s a thing of pure beauty:
Mond reads the field well and has the arm strength to make plays others in this class simply cannot. He dissected two Arkansas defenders on one brilliant throw to the sideline for a 35-yard touchdown. It’s the kind of play most quarterbacks don’t even attempt. His ability to put a bit of extra mustard on a throw like that, yet retain accuracy, is exciting to watch.
A 30-40-yard throw, on the money, placed in between two defenders across to the sideline was almost a banality watching Mond, it happens so often. He has no physical limitations in terms of what he can do with the football. His release is whipped and super-quick and he delivers a fantastic spiral. He threads the needle.
Not every decision is perfect. He misreads some hots but that’ll happen. He just needs time. The offense he played in is also well crafted and Jimbo Fisher has a history of creating accommodating schemes. That’s something to consider.
Over the years he’s had to deal with a lot of pressure at Texas A&M. He’s learnt to cope with it. There are several examples where he faces interior pressure and a defender in his grill but he’ll stand tall and deliver an accurate throw downfield. Unlike Justin Fields, he doesn’t get flustered and bail. He hangs in the pocket.
There’s another play against Arkansas where he lobs the football over the head of one linebacker and in front of two defensive backs. The linebacker holds his hands up after as if to say, ‘what can I do?’ — there simply aren’t many players with the physical prowess to do this.
His work in the red zone is excellent. He’s very capable of looking off defenders to create openings to the tight end. His two scoring plays to Amari Rodgers in the Senior Bowl game were pure perfection.
He’s not a dynamic runner but he’s very capable of breaking off runs and extending plays when required. As with Mills, he always sticks with the pass to the last minute and doesn’t drop his eyes.
The amount of progress he has made year after year has to be recognised. I don’t see any reason why that can’t continue, either. And while he’s never quite elevated his play to the point of garnering early round attention, he looks like a very capable quarterback with the right physical qualities and mental makeup to play in the NFL. It won’t be a surprise at all if he’s taken on day two of the draft and in five years time, as with Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson, we’re all left wondering how he lasted as long as he did.
I think the Seahawks should strongly consider drafting him.
This is the space we’re living in these days. Short of an unexpected long-term truce, where Pete Carroll caves to Russell Wilson in a way he has so far resisted, the Seahawks are going to have to start paying attention to quarterbacks again.
At the moment, it feels like the countdown to divorce is on.
That means it’s time to plan and prepare. Having ‘one in the chamber’ was John Schneider’s way of putting it a few years ago. Now, they have to deliver on that. They’re in the business of buying lottery tickets again, hoping one wins.
For me — Mills and Mond have as good a shot as anyone in this class outside of Trevor Lawrence to make this work. Whether they trade Wilson this year or not, I would suggest it’s in their best interests to draft a quarterback at some point — and I would seriously consider making the moves needed to acquire extra draft stock in order to make this possible.
You can now support Seahawks Draft Blog via Patreon by clicking the tab below.
Latest from Brandon Marshall:
— Source close to Marshall says it’s 60/40 he plays in Seattle this year
— Wilson and Carroll haven’t talked in two weeks
— The Bears have talked internally about what they can give up to get Wilson and they’re willing ‘to give him the keys’
— He thinks if he’s traded, he’ll end up in Las Vegas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLjRerpFwkM
But remember… Marshall was just trying to make headlines when he talked about this long before other people in the media. Plus Florio, La Canfora etc don’t know what they’re talking about. Everything is fine. This is just the media making a story out of nothing.
— Wilson and Carroll haven’t talked in two weeks
Wow.
Basically that’s since all this drama started in earnest.
If true sounds like another misreading of a critical situation by PC.
He’s gone, pure and simple.
Ohh Pete, Ever the optimist. In reality Pete’s “60/40” is likely the opposite – 40/60.
Just what is PC basing his “60/40” feeling on, if they haven’t talked in two weeks?
Seems like a bad combination if lenient local press coverage and an optimistic mindset still have him thinking minimum 40% likelihood Russ is gone…
Marshall says 60/40 not PC. It was my typo mistake, sorry
Can we trade Coach Carrol?
I would trade PC for a bag of balls
I like this write up. Living here in Aggieland I have an affinity for Mond and agree with your assessments of his higher level skills. And your discussion points on Mills make him look nearly as desirable. It will be interesting to see if the paid scouts share your views.
I have to admit I find this Wilson diva stuff tiresome. It doesn’t matter whether some see it as justified or not, it’s still tiresome. If he is to be traded, inevitable now I think, just the timing being the most unanswered question. Some will see the four teams desired leak as a serious restriction on the team getting max value, and if that were a hard restriction I’d agree. But your comments about the Panthers and the “give the keys….” Bear comment show that there may be a way for other teams to “get on the list”. It wouldn’t surprise me if a team or two out there are in contact with Rodgers laying out a plan to pander to Russ’s ego and goals, and if they present a plan that appeals and the team is located in a geographical spot Russ thinks he can benefit from (endorsements, post career ops, etc.) then there might be more teams in play benefitting the Hawks in sweetening the trade options. Certainly, on paper anyway, the Jets have a lot of assets to barter that would be desirable, and NYC would seem ideal…………but do they (Jets) see value in Russ? I don’t expect the grind to end soon, but I wish it would.
I actually think Wilson has done Seattle a favour with his pick of the four teams.
1. Bears — desperate franchise, not had a legit franchise QB in decades, desperate HC & GM fighting for their jobs, GM known only as the guy who preferred Trubisky over Mahomes/Watson, this is his only chance to rectify that
2. Dallas — Serious concerns about Dak’s injury, Jerry Jones is 79 and desperate to win again
3. Vegas — franchise needing to establish in a new football market, sell tickets, desperately need a star name, also desperately need to keep up with KC/LAC quarterback situations, aggressive owner looking to make a splash
I was fearful he’d limit it to the Saints. He’s picked three desperate that are likely aggressive prospective suitors.
Should be a bidding war.
My fear is that Pete will use whatever draft capital he has acquired to further his own agenda of defense and plodding offense. I would love to have Chicago’s next 4 firsts, some seconds and maybe a few day threes. However, will he invest in an Oline for his new rookie QB, once his former QB is gone? That is my biggest concern.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is only kidding themselves
I didn’t say they were bad options, just limiting. Three in the NFC is not ideal, but only a low hurdle. Of those three the Bears are the best from appearances for the Hawks point of view for what you noted as well as skill level of the rest of the team. And for similar but opposite reasons Dallas is a slight surprise to see on the list as their O line is a shadow of what it was, their D is suspect even with a good coaching upgrade, and given McCarthy’s history with Rodgers I’m not sure that it’s a big difference in HC attitude. On the plus side, there’s the “America’s Team” halo, even if it may not be as significant as before. Yes, the Raiders appear the best choice of the list and are a short drive from SoCal which is the geographical edge. But none of those teams have the “pot o’ gold” assets for bolstering draft/draft capital wheeling/dealing to the extent that a Miami or Jets have. But again, creativity might prove different.
It’s going to have to be a great volume of picks and/or it will have to include players.
The positive is it might give us the chance to acquire a player or two who would not normally be available. Not the cornerstone by any means – but I’d love us to get Tony Pollard out of it.
I’m not even sure a top-10 pick this year constitutes a ‘pot of gold’. It might be more of a ‘setting yourself up for disappointment’.
This is a great draft between 20-75. Give me as many picks as possible in that range and I’d fancy my chances of picking good players in this class. I’m convinced most GM’s will view this class in the same way.
Ciara may have daily performances in Vegas..
Is Groupon that big in Vegas?
Ciara couldn’t fill any venue if her life depended on it. She had puyallup fair concert tickets on Groupon. Hilarious really.
I feel that the player publicizing a list of possible teams means this is only a matter of time.
In much the same way as saying this:
https://twitter.com/BestGuyAround/status/1365026885399433219?s=20
pretty much ends your marriage.
Without a doubt.
The minute your agent goes ON THE RECORD to the #1 NFL insider with a list of prospective suitors…
The end is nigh.
The Nick guy in the segment above put it well. “I’m not looking to divorce my wife. I want that on the record. BUT if I were these are the 4 women I’d be looking at for my next marriage.”
I didn’t click the tweet but same thing
The Ex-wife says she wants the signing bonus money back!
Enjoyed the write-up on Mills and Mond Rob. If you had a choice between the 2 which one would you go with? (my gut tells me Mond)
I’m not picking favourites at this stage (if ever)
Not Rob, but if I had to pick I’d go with Kellen Mond. Having so much playing time, he’s just more of a known quantity. The 11 starts Mills has just isn’t much to go on.
Man, if only we had our 1st this year. Would be a good one to trade back and put us in a great position to take either and still address other needs.
Can’t the Seahawks and Cowboys just grant permission to Wilson and Dak to work out long terms deals with the other team that redo the current deals and allow for zero dead money to the team being left? That would also benefit both players by allowing their new teams to have the maximum resources to devote to their offensive lines, passing weapons, etc. This seems to be in everyone’s best interests (if the Hawks want Dak and the Cowboys want Wilson).
Wilson’s dead cap hit is for money that’s already been paid. So they’d have to really get oiled up and maneuver things to make that scenario work. Like has been said, RW pays back a bunch of the bonus $ to the Seahawks and gets a check from the Cowboys that matches it.
As it is, if there was a Dak/RW trade right now the Seahawks would be over the cap BEFORE they figure Dak’s 2021 salary in. They’d have to cut or restructure multiple guys just to fit it.
Only if the Cowboys tag Prescott.
But the Seahawks aren’t going down that road. We won’t know about Prescott’s injury until the summer. You can’t negotiate a contract from a $37m starting point without knowing the state of his health.
If you want Dak, you need the Cowboys to release him and then either do a prove-it deal or wait for news on his health later in the year.
The draft has shades of 2018 and 2011. Clear cut #1 and a jumbled mess of talented QBs. Teams get so desperate for QBs that their stock gets pushed up so high.
Would be great if Hawks were in position to grab one of these two with or without Russ on the roster. However, if still rather see the O-Line or D-Line addressed first.
Another reason to think about this right now.
Looks like the Seahawks have the franchise QB trade market all to themselves.
Yeah, but Watson just told the new coach he wasn’t EVER going to play for the Texans again. The thing about playin’ chicken is knowing when to flinch.
Desperate teams, plus Russell Wilson at a pre-decline peak hype, means this could be the perfect time for a trade.
I’ve only watched the highlights you posted in yesterday’s thread so far, but Mond reminds me a lot of a slower version of Kaepernick with his lanky build and rocket arm. Even the immobile lower body when throwing is kind of reminiscent. Gives you at least something of a running threat, but I’d be worried a bit about durability at his size.
Mills looked good too. Less zip on the ball, but his touch pass is excellent, he has much more natural mechanics than Mond, and seems to be able to navigate the pocket better and throw on the move as well. Sort of reminds me of a lighter, much less athletic Andrew Luck as far as body type and throwing motion. Are there any deep throws where arm strength is on display? Cause we know the deep shot is an essential part of PC’s game plan.
My main scouting point would be: how do they perform under pressure? There are a lot of QB’s who are money when they don’t face pressure (e.g. Goff), but those who separate themselves are the ones who can feel the pressure without losing their calm and make things happen off schedule too. And we know that any QB in Seattle is gonna be pressured, even if we do invest in the OL…
This is what I like to hear:
Because in the highlights he mostly had ages to throw.
I’ll definitely be watching more, looking mostly for that performance under pressure.
Also, some interesting tidbits per PFF on the two:
https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-nfl-draft-quarterback-rankings
So Mond was really carrying his team to a lot of wins this season, but the accuracy is a concern despite the big arm.
Also, do we think the Seahawks will prefer a mobile QB or a more traditional one with the new OC?
Lots to talk about…
Found thread on their longest career throws:
https://twitter.com/PFF_Mike/status/1358809995249410048
Coming from the McVay tree suggests a more traditional QB would be their preference if they were starting over. I’m not sure I’d define either of those guys as mobile in the modern sense, Fields and Lance are the 2 with the elite running ability that separates from the pack these days.
Time to man up Seahawks.
Can I suggest watching this a few times before diving into your offseason?
https://twitter.com/NRL/status/1364368584269393922
Now I can’t un-watch this 🙁
I wonder what our new OC thinks of all this.
Seahawks: “… and you get to work with RW.”
OC: “great!”
Seahawks: “sorry did we say RW? We meant Kellen Mond.”
Anyway I’m intrigued by the possibility of trading our beloved semi / demi diva QB and acquiring a lot of draft picks. But I’m still on board with restructuring Wagner and trading Adams.
But by doing that (no Wilson, Wagner, Adams), the Jets are going to have a top 5 pick in the draft next year and possibly two if they have a bad record themselves.
No worried Bobby, Petego won’t trade Adams
The arrogance and denial continues:
https://twitter.com/gbellseattle/status/1365175003029917696
https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1319862/clayton-russell-wilson-trade-cant-be-cards-seahawks/
Indeed
Bore off, John
There’s so many things that are logically crazy with that article I can’t handle it.
Both Clayton’s radio work and writing is stuck in another era. He sounds increasingly irrelevant. He’s a slave of his data base and despite his connections and his HOF status is just out-of-touch.
2 very fine examples of ostrich journalism. There’s plenty of ostrich fandom out there as well so they appeal to them. Keep those clicks coming babeeeee
If Only Paul Allen was alive.
He could just trade Pete Carroll for Sean Payton and save us a headache.
Saints/Benson ain’t that stupid
I’m not trying to pick sides in this Pete v Russ drama, clearly they’re both somewhat at fault here. But what irks me is this half a foot out the door crap, insisting you dont want to leave while youre putting your coat on and tying your shoes.
Just demand the trade and let us move forward.
Agreed
While I agree that it’s frustrating, I actually think it benefits us more if RW doesn’t publicly demand a trade. Once he does, other teams know that your backs are against the wall and can name their prices and just wait it out. Like the Texans with Watson at this point. Everyone knows they have lost all leverage.
As long you can hang on (at least publicly) to a sliver of “we are going to work this out, we don’t want to trade him”, then it’s on the other teams to make you an offer you can’t refuse and change your mind for you. I mean, we want a king’s ransom, and then a little more on top, not just “well, this was the best offer for now so we took it”.
One could hope that a bidding war would keep the price high, but with Russ already narrowing the list to just four teams, I’m not sure we can count on that.
Agree. This is very important, and why I think Pete and Russ may be working on this together.
In other words, you want out then here are the steps to maximize the return the Seahawks get and land Russ at one of his top choices. It may be even a single choice and the other three are there to add competition. I think he wants the Raiders and the Seahawks want him in the AFC.
If they are cooperating then there is a chance Russ is in on the return of the signing bonus etc.
Pete Carroll answers to nobody. Not the owner, not the GM (which is what he really is), nobody. He’s not held accountable for anything. He simply does what he wants to do. He has immunity for “competing” for doing anything he wants.
“absolute power corrupts absolutely”
This entire Wilson saga is another of the many reasons why the Jamal Adams trade was so dumb (they don’t have their 1st round pick in 2022). If the team tanks without its franchise QB – they’re going to be giving up a top 5 pick in ’22.
Yep
My final thought last night was exactly this
Agree 10000%
I am coming around to Russ leaving but he only will allow 4 teams to call? That puts us in a bad situation in my opinion. You may or may not have a bidding war but even if let’s say 2 of the teams on the list want Russ they know they won’t have to sell the farm to get him.
I don’t want to be the glass half empty guy but we may not get as much for Russ as we think.
Two questions for the community.
What option is best for this team?
A) Have KJ, Bobby and Brooks
B) Wagner and Brooks
C) KJ and Brooks
It feels like we are going to have to trade someone to acquire more draft stock. Wha trade helps us the most?
A) Adams
B) Wagner
C) Lockett
Adams, Adams, & Adams
I mean, if I could pay for KJ and Bobby, I’d keep them both. It’s more likely that KJ won’t be extended. But I think he delivered more than Bobby last year.
For the second question, the obvious answer is Adams.
I think they need to trade Adams for sure, he’s likely their most marketable asset outside Russ and DK. He should still fetch a decent return to a team with a good scheme fit. I would also trade Bobby, as hard as that might be. He’s just way to expensive at this point in his career and they can plug Brooks into his slot. Then I would try to resign KJ to work with and mentor Brooks.
Adams hopefully brings R1 and R2 picks and Bobby a late R2 or R3 pick! They just have to restock the draft cupboard!
I watched a lot of games with Kellen Mond. They did really well up until the game against Alabama where they were overmatched. I like his arm strength and the way he passes the ball, and his quick release. But I have to question whether Pete Carroll would want a guy that is so oriented toward passing. Would it be a good fit? I guess any rookie quarterback will try to conform to the coach for the first four years.
Kellen Mond is not coming to Seattle and asking to throw 40 times a game
Mills looks like the type of guy who stands around in a combat situation giving orders, as bullets zip by without ducking, flinching or even raising his voice.
Went on youtube and looked at a few Bears podcasts..Man they are so pumped that Russell Wilson even mentioned the Bears as one of his 4 teams. He would be an instant hero if he went to the Bears. Also, the bar hasn’t been set very high for qb play in Chicago. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but was surprised to see just how psyched Bears fans were. I guess we’ve been spoiled.
Bears about to make a huge offer
I’ve always been rooting for Miami, because I like the idea of 3 and 18 (Sewell and Rousseau perhaps?), but I’d still be very interested to see what Ryan Pace will offer. Let’s find a team as desperate for Russell as we were for Jamal.
Any Bears players you would insist on in the deal? Seems like Mack is pretty expensive, but only 30 years old!
Pete will demand Jay Hilgenberg and Neal Anderson for starters.
Richard Dent
I’ve interviewed Richard Dent
Wow very cool. What was he like?
Very good. It was a few years ago now. About 2014 ish I think. Was ahead of one of the London games.
Good to hear 🙂
Did a thought experiment last night where we traded Jamal to Miami for #18 & #50. That still leaves them with #3 & #36 early on.
Traded down from 18 to get 33, 65 & 120.
Trade 33 for 40 & 104
Traded 37 & 209 for 78, 90 and 2022 2nd
Traded 56 for 67 & 109
End result was: 40, 50, 67, 78, 90, 104, 109, 120, 129, 168
Going to be a lot of nice players in that range. If John has shown anything over the years, it’s that he’s really effective at moving around the board with draft day deals.
Maybe it doesn’t turn out exactly like this, who knows? But this would give you plenty of ammo to find OL/DL/CB/WR etc. Peg one of the picks for a new QB too I suppose.
Grab Keanu Neal in FA, and we will have saved some money, improved our coverage at SS and transformed our draft from sad-sack to capable of filling a number of needs.
I’d be happy if we just got 18
Today thinking about the downstream cost of all this RW drama.
Very tough to make decisions about Wagner, Lockett, Dunlap, Reed, Brown, etc on the roster if your primary player’s situation is unstable.
Does Adams staying or going hinge on what RW does? Can you keep teams on the line and interested in Adams while you work out your QB situation? There sure are a lot of safety options for other teams to pursue.
With an uncertain cap position, the Griffin tag and trade idea is scuttled (if it ever was a possibility).
Your draft prep can continue of course, but QB just moved to the top of the list for scouting.
Does the team have a post-RW plan formulated? If you want to return to Peteball, the defense and the DL in particular needs some major investment. Are they prepared for that? Or are they going to just freak out and lurch and overpay the last guy standing when the music stops?
Who is running the ball in 2021? Rashaad Penny and seven dwarves?
It’s a mess
D-line will be fine cha. LJ Collier dontcha know?
.
.
.
Yeah it’s a mess. You change last offseason and it’s possibly quite different right now.
Calais Campbell and Jack Conklin was doable. It was.
And just imagine having a top RB, an OT and another WR going into year 2 instead of Darrell Taylor and Jordyn Brooks.
The Conklin instead of Olsen would have been nice. Campbell intead a horrible Adams trade. Those moves alone would have already had us in much better situation for last season and this. Seemed so obvious.
Similar to this years possibilties:
Trading Adams and Wagner to recoup draft capital & improve the trenches. Seems obvious if you want to keep Wilson and improve team.
Heck feels like it’s the best thing to do even if we trade Wilson.
There are options, they just have to be willing to accept things and do it.
Goes back to what i asked a week or two ago. What does PC want? Prove that his way is the Mandalorian way or win Super Bowls.
Davis mills looks like how a qb should look, I really like his throwing motion. It looks exactly like how someone would teach it.
He kind of looks like josh Rosen.
Well, seems like it’s just a matter of when, not if.
Maybe they do something like in the Wilson draft? Since none of the approved teams have a top pick, draft a qb you expect to sit for a year or two and sign a stop-gap vet? Fitzmagic? He may not want to get into another Miami scenario, but he seemed to be great in that mentor, starter, back-up role.
I really hope they don’t screw this up so bad and go back to the between Kreig & Hasselbeck era.
First of all, credit to Rob for being out front on this emerging situation. I mean, for weeks now, while many of the American sports press intelligentsia were stroking their beards, clucking their tongues and saying there’s no problem with Wilson and the Seahawks. Kudos dude.
I did a mock on PFN and I know their player rankings are all kinds of messed up I still came away with a class I’d be pretty happy with under the circumstances.
Pick 78 — Walker Little OT Stanford
Pick 90 — Davis Mills QB Stanford
Pick 129 — David Moore OG Grambling
Pick 168 — Ellerson Smith EDGE Northern Iowa
I haven’t seen much Mills, but I watched several TAMU games this year and I’m a Mond fan. I think I prefer him to any QB that could possibly be available to Seattle.
With respect to the discussion above about how Russell Wilson hasn’t demanded a trade but maybe he should…maybe it’s just semantics, but I think having your agent list four specific teams you’d be willing to go to is just about as close to demanding a trade without saying the word “demand”.
Again, kudos to Rob for being out front, and by all appearances, right, about the looming divorce between Wilson and the Seahawks.
Little won’t be there at 78
I wonder what parting ways with Wilson will do to the value of the franchise… especially since it seems that ownership extended PC/JS in order to keep things steady until the team is eventually sold
I’m not sure Vulcan really cares about that. In the long run it is still a good club in a good market with a loyal fanbase.
Multiple first round picks and no longer needing to hold tens of millions in an escrow account counterbalances anything trading him loses.
Watched some more Davis Mills today and I’m not sure I see the upside Rob does, accurate with good instincts but nothing special I thought. I think he’d be pretty good in San Fran though.
So I’ll cast my vote for Mond if it’s between those two. Going back and watching his senior year when this Russ news started to get going, he showed enormous improvement around a really mediocre supporting cast in the toughest division in the sport. It really made me a fan. I like it when a player changes my mind.
Well, in fairness, if you were expecting special we’d be talking about him going second overall.
I was more talking in terms of upside, but I take your point
Bears and Dolphins seem like the most obvious trade candidates and the Dolphins have a lot more to offer. Vegas as well. I just don’t see the Hawks doing a deal with the Cowboys and the Sainte don’t have the cap space or trade assets.
I think the Bears GM / Coach will be desperate and are the most likely to over pay but what would they give up? Any young players on the OL / DL or CB you would want to see in the deal?
Just want to say thanks for all the diligent reporting and writing Rob.. it makes me feel a little better that i was adamant to trade russ early in this storm of BS.. i dont think its the best option to trade him away since you need an elite qb or a dominant defense to win SBs.. or if ur the eagles.. 1 magical season..
However.. his camp and russ.. its gone too far i think.. im leaning towards its just a matter of time and compensation..
And as youve said before.. we dont have a true admiral of the franchise.. we have a captain… but no owner to drop the hammer..
Thanks for all you do. It fills the gap of news i need between free agency and the draft.. ect.
Thanks
Maybe James Daniels (Center)?
Really liked Anthony Miller (WR) during the draft.
Those are two guys that could coincidentally sabotage the Bears enough to make the picks more valuable. Not a lot stands out though.
I wonder how much Jimmy Graham’s being in Chicago is influencing RW including them? He was in RW’s wedding and I would wager is one of his better friends. The Bears lose Allen Robinson this year. Bonus points if you can guess their leading WR who is coming back.
I was analyzing the Bears roster for potential players the Seahawks could get back in a trade and they do not have an impressive roster by any stretch of the imagination. Mack is an aging stud, but the rest of that roster was quite dry for a playoff team with no QB. Strange.
Wellllllllll, Roquon Smith is young and a very good player and we all know the Seahawks are always looking for more LBs. I mean if they got him they could bench Brooks the year after drafting him for a guy they got in a trade. You know, like they did with Marquise Blair at SS.
So Jason McIntyre on Cowherd’s show predicts the following will happen.
– SEA trades for RW for Zeke and Picks
– SEA signs Winston on the cheap
I don’t like this one bit. Only trade I would like is with LV and we get Carr, Jacobs, and 3 1st rounds. Don’t have to pay Carson 8+ million, but would need to figure out to fit Carr’s 19 million cap hit and to have space to pick up key free agents (probably by cutting Dunlap and trading Lockett/Wagner/Adams).
Won’t happen. Daft suggestion.
To my untrained eye Zeke looked totally checked out last season.
Not taking on $90m of salary for that.
That’s maybe the dumbest prediction yet.
Yes, please give us your god-awful contract for a RB who was getting outplayed by his backup last year.
And while we’re at it, let’s replace our QB with Jameis, who couldn’t beat out Taysom Hill when Brees went down and threw for 30 INT’s during his last time as a starter. That is right up Pete’s alley.
Winston got robbed in ’19 by not being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Pete loves defense. He may be senile enough to forget he doesn’t like turning the ball over. Who knows anymore. I don’t.
https://12thmanrising.com/2021/02/26/seahawks-fans-pete-carroll/
Nobody suggests to dislike/hate Pete Carroll. It’s just that you have to choose betweeen building around the franchise QB you pay 35m/year or going in a (more or less) rebuild with a 70 year old old-school-style Head Coach.
I despise articles like this. They’re borne from the 140 character world we live in, and people who think they have to defend some black and white, love/hate narrative that only exists on the fringes of Seahawks fandom.
Life is so much more nuanced.
It’s possible to both laud PC for his achievements and the culture he’s built in Seattle AND criticize him for his handling of the team SB49-present.
It’s possible to both say that RW is the best QB in Seahawks history, enjoy his breathtaking play AND be completely perplexed by his behavior and think it is time he plays for another team.
I just bought a pair of Nike RW3’s and I haven’t even worn them yet. And I’m ready to say RW needs to move on.
That’s life.
Couldn’t agree more Cha. Well said.
What about Russ to the Cowboys for Cedee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and 21/22/23 1sts
I would like that trade, but the Cowboys won’t do it (I don’t think).
At this point, I’m hoping for:
David Carr, Bryan Edwards, the Raiders 1/2 this year and a future 1 (or two).
rob, what round you got got Kyle Trask going?
Late rounds. Don’t see a pro prospect TBH.
Excellent reporting on this Rob and you’ve been a prophet on the actual story. Little did we all know until the last couple days is that this has been brewing and contentious for months, not just the last 2-3 weeks. I’m all in favor of getting as much as we can for RW, and trading him to the only AFC team he has on the list for a few picks and players. Would want this year’s 1st and 2nd rounder from the Raiders, next year’s 1st and 3 of these 4 players: RB Jacobs, TE Waller, DE Crosby, or WR Ruggs. Ruggs has 4.3 or under speed, didn’t do much this year, but the other 3 have proven they can be very good to great in Waller and Jacobs cases. Crosby has had 10 and 7 sacks and 30+ pressures the last 2 years, is on the 3rd year of a very cheap 4 year deal, and won’t turn 24 until late August. Not sure how good their other DL or OL are, none of them except Crosby seem to stand out.
Would also like to see us trade Jamal and Bobby to acquire more picks and clear more cap space, to get the OL needed to protect whichever QB we may select in the late 1st or day 2. Still can’t see us paying close to 40 mil. for these 2 next year. And neither Carr or Mariotta seem like a good investment. The only time we’ve won a SB is when we had a cheap QB on a rookie deal, and could invest in FA and trades knowing he won’t cost much for years. We can run the Rams or Pete’s O with Mills, Mond, Jones or whoever we can get late 1st or day 2. Just need Linsley or other excellent OL to protect him so he can hand off to Jacobs or throw safe passes to Waller, Jacobs, DK or Lockett, etc.. Still would try get Neal at safety, Everett or Jones to add to the TE group and more DL to go with extra OL when we clear more cap space after trading RW, BW and JA, and restructuring 3-4 other players.
Thank you
At this point, it’s dumb for both sides to even consider reconciliation. This thing is over – best for both sides to move on.
Can’t think of a worse ending to both RWs and PCs time in Seattle. Amazing how quiet this train wreck has been.
If this thing does happen – we are looking at a solid 6 years of struggle with this team. Pete is going to patch some crap together to salvage the end of his career. He will leave in 3-4 years and then we are starting over again…with no QB, LT…this is a disaster, but to Rob’s point – I’m actually happy RW is forcing the issue.
At this point, I’d rather be disappointed in the rebuild rather than disappointed in horrific management that squandered a generational QB on our team. I went from being one of the few people genuinely pumped about PC to volunteering to packing his Uhaul to get out of town.
What’s the quote in Batman? You die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. What a fitting quote.
“At this point, I’d rather be disappointed in the rebuild rather than disappointed in horrific management that squandered a generational QB on our team.”
Well said Matt. Agree 100%.
It’s rather strange that the FO hasn’t been in contact with Russ for 2 weeks now. It’s almost as if they are hoping Russ leaves and Pete can start building a great defense/running game with a moderately paid game manager at QB.
https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/bears-rumors-russell-wilson-would-happily-accept-his-walking-papers
I liked the trade proposed on bearswire: Chicago gets Wilson
Seattle gets 2021 pick 20, 2022 1st, Khalil Mack & Jaylon Johnson
Three R1’s is the starting point. That’s the minimum.
I think that would have looked pretty good 2-3 years ago, but with Mack being 30, I agree.
Will be very interesting to see how all this unfolds
The Bears want Russell Or he wants them? OK, I know we don’t try to talk about it much but Russell is usually not very good in bad weather games. I’m not sure what kind of fit he would be at soldier Field. But whatever…
Wonder if it was Greg Bell?
Lol
Michael Bumpus said something more or less the same today on the radio
What if the Seahawks don’t get a good enough offer from any of the 4 teams this year? Why wouldn’t they just wait till next year and tell Russ to expand his list of teams? If not then well I guess we go for another year unless Russ really wants out.
I think there isn’t a good enough offer available this year, things can always change quickly though. I think of the Herschel Walker trade years ago. Or when Ditka traded an entire draft to move up for Ricky Williams. Those were running backs.
Gruden would be the one this year who might do something wild and over the top to get Russell Wilson. Say he trades Carr and trades Mariotta and picks up a few good picks. Then the raiders would have the ammo to make a big offer for Russ. Or they trade just Mariotta for a pick or two and offer Seattle Carr and the picks and a first next year.
I don’t see what the bears have to offer that is truly worth it to the Seahawks.
I don’t believe Russ holds out or misses games in his quest to leave Seattle. I believe he is too much of a competitor to not play, and he cannot pile up records and stats by not playing. This is not to say immediately after Seattle loses in the first or second round of the playoffs next year he doesn’t demand to be traded. It’s that this is the long game for both the Seahawks and Wilson. They need each other.
If the Saints end up having a terrible season in 21 and have a high pick in next years draft, and Seahawks are still the same. Watch out.
But why??
The Bears and Raiders are desperate now. The Saints need a QB.
These teams will be fighting for a player like Russ.
We don’t need to worry about the compensation.
As a trade asset, Russell Wilson is a winning lottery ticket. I think that’s why there’s talk of the Bears and Raiders. What I have heard about the Bears the past two days, they would do whatever it takes to get Russell, they think Seattle is crazy for not working things out with Wilson. Let’s just see what “whatever it takes” is.
Put heat on Pete!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ekzoq1hBc
I like this angle.
Dan Patrick chimes in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNEZwVJbrcE
“When you name the teams, you’re ready to go.”
Tough to argue with that logic
https://twitter.com/dpshow/status/1365466684316876801
Rapsheet on the Dan Patrick show
Explains that he reported the Seahawks were getting calls on RW in the Super Bowl pregame show.
Says usually when you report that you get pushback. Teams calling saying ‘knock it off’.
He got no pushback on this.
I really, really, really want to know where JS stands on PC.
For the life of me, I don’t understand why JS re-signed.
ditto
I’d love to know who was the driving force behind the major decisions of the last 6-7 years.
The trades, the draft picks, the FA signings. My guess in (__)
Specifically:
DK (PC)
Duane Brown (JS)
Frank Clark (JS)
Sheldon Richardson (PC)
Jimmy Graham (PC)
Ifedi (JS)
Paul Richardson over Davante Adams, Allen Robinson and Javis Landry (PC)
Rashad Penny (JS)
Malik McDowell (PC)
Cody Barton (JS)
Jamal (PC)
Every 4th round WR (JS)
Who’s got the better completion percentage? Who’s (largely) responsible for the biggest hits and misses?
I generally credit JS with the low cost trades, FA and later round picks, while figuring Pete was largely the driving force for some of the bigger deals (good and bad).
I’m sure there was compromise and consensus, but if you had 1 minute to rapid fire ask them “Your boy or his”, how would it turn out?
Very good/interesting list.
I’d definitely say Percy Harvin was 100% PC but with Marshawn I’m about 50-50 between the two.
Harvin and Jamal, I think are all Pete.
I can see Marshawn being Pete too, as well as Carson…
I can see Pete saying, “I want this BAMF. Get him John.” Then John driving a good bargain and everyone is happy.
I can also see Pete saying “I want Richardson or McDowell. Get him John.” Then John drives a hard bargain, but it’s the wrong player.
I can also see Pete saying “Get Jamal/Graham/Sheldon. Cost be damned.” Then John with no leverage gets worked over.
I can also see Pete saying “DK has fallen to almost the 3rd. Get him!” Then John saying, “Hell ya! Let me work my magic!”
I can also imagine a scenario where I am completely wrong on all of these 🙂
If they manage to keep Russ, I wonder if they would trade Brown (say to to Chiefs for a 3?) and use the cap savings to go after Trent Williams? May be an upgrade at LT for the next 3-4 years & get a little draft capital?
If your going to trade Brown I’d rather try replacing him.
I’d rather do it by trading Adams to Baltimore for Orlando Brown Jr and a pick.
Obviously contingent on extension. Adams would fit in Ravens defense.
I meant If your going to trade Brown and try replacing him with Williams.
I’d rather do it by trading Adams to Baltimore for Orlando Brown Jr and a pick.
Obviously contingent on extension. Adams would fit in Ravens defense.
Saints can’t do a deal, even if they could… they are going to be vastly depleted talent wise in 2021. I don’t understand why they keep coming up. They do not have cap space for multiple years. Just because the Rodgers agent chap mentioned them doesn’t mean they are remotely viable.
Cowboys are intriguing, but Raiders are the only team that seems like even a remote possibility. And likely it is a 2022 trade scenario, not 2021. Again, cap considerations.
The podcast is now live and added to the article
Regarding a potential Vegas deal including Abram, curious whether, if you’re John, would you want to have a Jamal Adams deal done in principle before doing that Wilson deal?
Anyone out there still consider Positive Pete to be a Hall of Fame caliber coach?
All of this doesn’t detract from what he has achieved, no.
One Super Bowl eight years ago which time is proving they won more despite him than because of him, a string of embarrassing first round playoff exits, and squandering the prime years of a Hall of Fame quarterback with an archaic and unimaginative offence that will run him out of town and set the franchise back years. Not sure I’d be fitting him for a jacket.
A thought: could Drew Brees’ surprising delay on retirement be connected to a potential Wilson trade?
Two points I would love to hear your take on:
1. When you were talking about potential trades with NO, Robbie said that getting Kamara or Thomas was unrealistic. How is any player unrealistic given we are trading a HOF QB with a 39 million dollar dead cap hit?
2. At the end of the day, I think the Hawks have more power in this than you have portrayed. I say this because if the Hawks refuse to deal him, can you really see Wilson sitting out for a season? He’s too competitive for that, don’t you think?
1, Saints can’t trade Kamara or Thomas. Huge dead money and they’re already in CAP hell. It won’t happen, 0% chance
2, RW says things for his image. Hard to picture him sitting out but I wouldn’t rule out anything
They are fed up with Thomas, it could happen. Kamara, not so much. I doubt the Seahawks would want Thomas though.
If RW goes, i can’t see Wagner or Adams being traded as he will want the D to become priority.
I’d still trade Adams. Not a great scheme fit, not worth 18-20m.
Use that money elsewhere
If he wants to keep Wagner then fine. At least he graded well last year, unlike Adams
Adams should be the 1st player to go in trade. Not a fit, would add draft capital and let us add to O-line. If there was ever a chance to keep Wilson; Adams or Wagner would need to go. Likely both if we really want to upgrade the trenches.
Unfortunately, it’s feeling more likel the Adams trade & him possibly staying ends up being the reason Russell going. Was such a bad trade. Like Rob said too many resources in LB and Safety
Look at the state of this 🤦♂️
https://twitter.com/gbellseattle/status/1365531984454385664?s=21
The question is how will he spin it after the trade happens?
Probably play the victim again and put out another disgrace of a tweet like he did a couple of days ago.
Likely
Drew Brees 😁 You are crazy after all! But I like the “no stone unturned” mentality and that’s what it’s going to take to make the most of this situation.
🙂
A great podcast as ever, the perfect length, woke up early, listened in one go for it to finish just as my young kids woke up, good timing!
It’s certainly an interesting discussion to have, whether it comes about or not. I find it very odd that some people don’t even seem to want to discuss it. Surely a big part of sports, is for fans to enjoy discussing personnel?
In any trade my preferred option would be a Raiders deal. Mainly because it gives the Seahawks the best option on a replacement QB and the highest draft pick this year. You talked about looking at 3 potential starting QB’s after Wilson, a Rookie, the traded QB (if relevant) and a free agent. I thought you were going to mention it at the end there, but I think a good third QB option in any new triumvirate competing for the starting role in Seattle would be Colin Kaepernick?
On talking about a potential Jamal Adams trade, again looking at the Dolphins, maybe their 2nd Rd pick #36 this year with a 1st next year might be a deal? With a Raiders deal, including a 1st and 2nd Rd pick this year, trading back with the first pick, we would be looking at 5 picks between 25 and 60 in this year’s draft. Fill your boots!