Seattle Seahawks: Reality check on Russell Wilson’s comments
Ed Stein
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Russell Wilson’s recent comments about the Seattle Seahawks have the 12s worried. Here’s a reality check that should make them feel better.
Tuesday, Seattle Seahawks All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson appeared on the Dan Patrick Show. Judging by what he said, things aren’t as rosy as 12s were led to believe. We break down some of his revealing comments.
Seahawks taking calls on RW3
Patrick asked Russ if he thought the Seattle Seahawks were taking calls on him.
“Yeah, I definitely believe that they’ve gotten calls, for sure. I think that any time you’re a player that tries to produce every week and has done it consistently, I think people are going to call, for sure, and it’s part of the process.”
Patrick followed up by asking if Wilson was available.
“I’m not sure if I’m available or not. That’s a Seahawks’ question. But I think more than anything else, I think at the end of the day, you want to win. … You play this game to be the best in the world. You know what I hate: I hate sitting there watching other guys play the game. There’s nothing worse.”
Reality Check
Of course, Seattle Seahawks General Manager John Schneider gets calls about Wilson. Other GMs ask about players not named Mahomes all the time. It happens all the time; Schneider politely declines when contacted. As a matter of fact, it would be worse if Schneider got no calls on Wilson at all.
The team has no plans to deal away their most important player. Does anyone question that Wilson is the best player in franchise history and is still in his prime? For many reasons, he’s not going anywhere. If the Seahawks wanted to trade him today, they incur a $39M cap hit. After June 1, it drops to $13M and stays that way for the rest of his contract.
Even if the Seahawks could put together a deal, Russ has a no-trade contract; he controls his destiny. In short, Russ doesn’t leave Seattle unless he wants to.
Too many sacks
Wilson also expressed frustration over the many sacks he takes. The Seahawks quarterback has gone down 441 times since entering the league in 2012, over 100 more than the next closest QB.
“Like any player, you never want to get hit, That’s the reality of playing this position; ask any quarterback who wants to play this game. But at the same time, it’s part of the job and everything else. I think that the reality is that I’ve definitely been hit. I’ve been sacked almost 400 times, so we’ve got to get better. I’ve got to find ways to get better too.”
Reality Check
Oh yeah, Wilson’s taken way too many hits. 12s watched helplessly over the years as defenses pummeled their quarterback. More often than not, the Seattle Seahawks offensive line looks like swiss cheese in pass protection, full of holes. It’s been their Achilles heel.
Neglect isn’t the right word. More accurately, the Seahawks spend their money in other areas. The biggest area is Wilson and his $39M salary. If he’s serious about more protection, maybe Russ should help free up some cap space. Whether Wilson restructures his contract or not, the Seahawks must spend more to protect their most important investment.
Wilson did take some blame for taking so many hits. He admitted to holding on to the ball too long at times. Who can blame him for wanting to make something happen when plays break down. It’s a near miracle that he stayed so healthy all these years.
Involvement in personnel decisions
Another area that caused some stir was that Wilson said he wanted more control in personnel matters.
“I want to be involved. At the end of the day, it’s your legacy, your team’s legacy. … It helps to be involved more… I think that dialogue should happen more often in my opinion. “
Reality Check
The Seahawks consulted with Wilson when they hired new offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron. Whether Russ likes it or not, this is still Pete Carroll’s (and to a lesser extent John Schneider’s) team. The best he can hope for is that Carroll and Schneider ask for his opinion from time to time.
Every employee wants a say in their company’s decision making. Fans don’t hear it as much in football. It was a bit of a surprise when Deshaun Watson said the same thing a few weeks ago. People across the league were shocked by Wilson’s comments because he always came across as a company man.
Conclusions
What’s more important here is that the media has picked up on some of RW3’s frustrations. Wilson’s remarks might be the first crack in a solid relationship between the Seattle Seahawks and their franchise player. For the time being, the Seattle Seahawks let Wilson know they heard him.
As mentioned earlier, Wilson isn’t leaving. There is no reason to think that there is damage to the relationship between him and the organization. Fans can breathe easier for a little while longer.
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