TAKING STOCK: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

BY ADAM GREENE

It’s been an uncharacteristically dramatic offseason so far for the Seattle Seahawks and the wounds seem entirely self inflicted. Their quarterback and face of the franchise, Russell Wilson, is being bandied about in trade talks and the man himself has tossed fuel to the fire, releasing a list of his “preferred destinations” if he were to be traded.

So what’s happening with the Seahawks? It’s anyone’s guess, but if they want to compete in 2021-22, they better figure it out quick. Here’s how they can do it.

In the Taking Stock series, we’re looking at each playoff team, going from worst to first, and outlining exactly what they must do to avoid being one of the five or so franchises who miss the postseason the year after making it.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

2020-21 Record: 12-4, NFC West Champion

Playoffs: Lost 30-20 to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs

2021-22 NFC Championship Odds: +1000

Previously: Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Washington Football Team

THE QUARTERBACK

After taking an article off from discussing a team’s problematic quarterback situation, we’re back with a vengeance.

Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, here’s a rundown of what’s happened since the regular season ended; Russell Wilson, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and the single best player in Seahawks franchise history, thinks he should have more say in the team’s offensive philosophy and would really love if they invested more in the offensive line to protect him from the likes of Aaron Donald, Joey Bosa and now J.J. Watt.

Seattle has countered that with a very stern frown and head shaking at the fact that Russell voiced his displeasure. Russ then let it be known, through his agent, that if the team wanted to trade him, he would be willing to go to the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears or the Las Vegas Raiders.

Instead of quashing all the trade talk, the Seahawks went ahead and starting “taking calls.” Then, when Seattle sent off its season ticket letter to fans, Wilson was “conspicuously absent” from it.

So what shouldn’t have been a mess is now a cat hoarder’s litter box.

Now what?

I still can not conceive of a universe in which Russell Wilson is traded, in his prime, from the Seattle Seahawks. It would be one of the dumbest moves in all of professional sports history. This isn’t an unfixable Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans situation and, furthermore, Wilson absolutely should have input on the team’s offense and expect them to want to protect him. These are not prima donna demands.

According to NFL reporter Dov Kleiman, the rift is showing now because head coach Pete Carroll reportedly handed the keys to Wilson last season and, after an MVP first half, the back half of the year left much to be desired in spite of the fact that the team won the NFC for the first time since 2016.

In 2021 Wilson completed 68.8 percent of his passes (a career high) for 4,212 yards (also a career high) for 40 touchdowns (career high) and 13 interceptions (an unfortunate career high).

Was Wilson what stopped them from going to the Super Bowl? No. If Jared Goff had been more careful with the ball for the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle wouldn’t have even won the division. They certainly had no chance of getting past the Green Bay Packers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs. They were probably the fourth best team in the NFC in 2020. Their problem was they played in the same division with the third best team, the Rams… Who have now just gotten better with the addition of Matthew Stafford at QB.

What Wilson did do is give them a chance in every game. He was the reason they posted double digit wins in the first place. You take Russell Wilson off this 2020 team, they win maybe five games.

FREE AGENCY

Seattle has five big free agents they must try to keep this offseason and they’re all going to cost money. While Wilson can complain about his interior offensive line, his two tackles last season gave up a total of five sacks. Duane Brown finished with an 87.3 rating from Pro Football Focus and Brandon Shell notched a 72.1. Both are currently contract-less.

On defense, star defensive tackle Jarren Reed is due his second ever contract after a solid season where he recorded 38 tackles, five for a loss, 14 QB hits and 6.5 sacks. He was legitimately their only defensive lineman with a pass rush threat. The guy that actually led the team in sacks, which should shame them as an organization, was safety Jamal Adams, who recorded 9.5 along with 83 tackles, 11 for a loss and 14 QB hits. He simply must be kept as the team traded two first rounders in 2019 to add him to the roster in the first place.

Then there’s wide receiver Tyler Lockett, coming off his second 1,000 yard season where he caught a career high 100 passes and 10 touchdowns.

Outside of that, Russ is 100 percent correct. The team should absolutely invest in offensive line help in free agency as best they can. But what they’ll probably have to do, if they can manage to keep all or most of their own FAs, is maximize their selections in the…

NFL DRAFT

Seattle, by virtue of that Adams trade, has no first round pick this year. In fact, they have just one pick in the draft’s first three rounds – No. 56 overall in the second. That’s still a starter and with all the quarterbacks going in the first round, every other position gets pushed down the board. That means Seattle could nab a guy like Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis, North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz or Texas’ Samuel Cosmi and they absolutely should.

NFC WEST

Here’s the Seahawks biggest problem, outside of their own stupidity with Wilson. The NFC West is loaded. The Rams will be that much better and were, really, the better team last season. The San Francisco 49ers will be healthy after a year that saw every single key player on their roster sidelined and the Arizona Cardinals will likely take another positive step. This is the best division in football and you could realistically make the case that all four teams in it could make the playoffs in 2021-22. The Seahawks can not take stumble and remain competitive. And they sure as hell can’t trade Russell Wilson.

Projected 2021-22 Record: 10-6, NFC Wild Card (with Wilson), 4-12 (without Wilson)

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