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Contracts, Trades

Hawks should not restructure Wilson

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Contract restructures have been the topic of the week around the NFL. It’s a simple procedure that converts salary to bonus, pays the player right away and gives the team salary cap relief.

Some fans are calling for the Seahawks and Russell Wilson to do it. They could cut his salary from $19 million to the $1.075 million minimum to create $12 million in space.

To clarify: Wilson’s deal reportedly gives the team automatic conversion rights, so they don’t need Wilson’s permission — they already got it when he signed his contract.

But we don’t think the Seahawks should use it with Wilson at all, and we don’t think they will.

Continue reading Hawks should not restructure Wilson →
On the air, State of the team

Olsen: Seahawks are at a ‘crossroads’

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There seemingly are few people who have not picked a side in the Russell Wilson vs. Pete Carroll power play, but Greg Olsen apparently is one of them.

Olsen was with the Seahawks for just one year, but the longtime NFL vet saw the personalities of Wilson and Carroll up close in 2020. So his perspective – that of a guy who went to the postseason with three franchises and knows what it takes to win – is valuable.

In a podcast interview with Colin Cowherd, an anti-Carroll Wilson supporter, Olsen presented a very fair, unbiased look at the situation, pointing out there is more than one way to win and showing it is possible to respect both Wilson and Carroll, who we all know both have their strengths and weaknesses.

“Both guys know that they’re capable of being among the all-time best,” Olsen said. “They just have a little bit of a different philosophy on how it’s done.”

Continue reading Olsen: Seahawks are at a ‘crossroads’ →
Free agency, The roster

Dunlap release not a surprise, also not a good sign

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The Seahawks’ release of Carlos Dunlap, their best pass rusher, was not unexpected, but it also is probably not a good omen for the offseason.

It shows that the Seahawks did not value their most impactful defender from 2020, were not creative enough to keep him, are still not looking to the future and are likely to go the budget route in filling their few roster holes.

Continue reading Dunlap release not a surprise, also not a good sign →
Trades

Bears could bring Watson to Seattle

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John Schneider has a clear path to getting Deshaun Watson to Seattle – if only he has the will and the wile to take it.

Last week, Bears GM Ryan Pace said he had a plan for finding a new quarterback: “Everything is on the table in regard to the quarterback situation. That includes free agency, trade, the draft and a combination of all those. We have a plan in place.”

It’s no surprise that plan reportedly starts with Russell Wilson, whose agent publicly invited the Bears (and the Raiders, Saints and Cowboys) to pursue the quarterback. Wilson reportedly likes the idea of playing for an offensive coach like Chicago’s Matt Nagy (an Andy Reid disciple), and the egomaniacal QB apparently loves the thought of being a savior in the Windy City.

Perfect. Schneider needs to use Chicago as his conduit for getting a Wilson-Watson swap.

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Contracts, Free agency

What if Schneider does cut Dunlap?

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There is a lot of smoke swirling around Carlos Dunlap, with more and more insiders thinking the Seahawks will “fire” him due to his $14 million cap hit.

It wouldn’t be an advisable move, unless John Schneider had a sure plan to replace one ace pass rusher with another. The GM can’t stumble blindly along like he has the past two years, waiting until some disgruntled star becomes available in a cheap trade and adjusts his salary for Seattle. It’s not a sustainable strategy.

If the Hawks cut Dunlap, they MUST find another top pass rusher — BEFORE the season this time. It would become their No. 1 roster need — ahead of center, corner, running back or any other spot. And if Schneider let that position drift in the wind again, it would be just as detrimental to the defense as it was the last two years.

So, what can Schneider do if he cuts Dunlap?

Continue reading What if Schneider does cut Dunlap? →
Coaches, On the air

Wilson’s guys drive anti-Carroll crusade

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“Pete Carroll has too much power.”  

It’s a ridiculous sentiment that has gotten a lot of traction this month in the wake of reports that Russell Wilson is upset that Carroll won’t include him in personnel and scheme decisions as much as the quarterback wants.

Colin Cowherd, a radio mouthpiece for Wilson and his agent, is the most visible peddler of this stupid abuse-of-power theory. All of the pass-happy data dorks who despise Carroll’s philosophy agree, of course. And fans who have been brainwashed into believing Wilson is a victim certainly believe it.

Continue reading Wilson’s guys drive anti-Carroll crusade →
The roster, Trades

Is Wilson’s time up? trade still unlikely, but not impossible

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The end is nigh.

That became very clear after The Athletic detailed Russell Wilson’s losing power struggle with Pete Carroll and word emerged that Wilson has passive-aggressively asked for a trade.

And you know what? It’s OK.

All things come to an end, and the Carroll/Wilson era is nearly at its terminus. It has been a good run – the best in the NFC over the past decade – but not nearly as good as it could/should have been. And that’s why it’s about time to finish cleaning the slate from the Super Bowl team.

Continue reading Is Wilson’s time up? trade still unlikely, but not impossible →
Contracts, Free agency

The Dunlap dilemma

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One of the top things on our offseason to-do list for the Seahawks has been to extend Carlos Dunlap, who turned around their pass rush – and thus their defense — after his arrival in October.

A short extension for Dunlap would allow the Seahawks to greatly reduce his $14 million cap hit in 2021. However, some reporters who cover the team think Dunlap may be released, thereby freeing up the entire $14 million – and sending the Hawks on the hunt yet again for a top pass rusher.

Continue reading The Dunlap dilemma →
The roster, X's & O's

A third of Wilson’s sacks were on him — most in his career

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Russell Wilson picked a strange year to call out the Seahawks for not protecting him, considering the 2020 line was one of the best he has had and he was responsible for a career-high 14 sacks – nearly a third of the 47 times he was dropped.

Counting playoffs, he was to blame for 16 of 51 sacks (31%), per Pro Football Focus, and we tallied the same via a cut-up video posted by Parker Lewis on Twitter. 

So it’s fairly disingenuous of him to put the blame on the line and John Schneider — this year anyway — when he bears a third of the responsibility. Yeah, he mentioned he needs to get better, too, but you know he is not going to change certain aspects of his game at this stage of his career. He is always going to be a double-edged sword, and 2020 was the ultimate example of that.

Continue reading A third of Wilson’s sacks were on him — most in his career →
Coaches, State of the team

Wilson’s future in Seattle may depend largely on Waldron

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“I’m frustrated with getting hit too much.” – Russell Wilson

Did Shane Waldron know what he was getting into when he hired on with the Seahawks?

We already knew he was key to the Seahawks’ Super Bowl hopes – the offense needing some good innovation to beat stellar defenses and advance beyond the first two rounds of the playoffs. But Russell Wilson’s callout of John Schneider and Pete Carroll this week really puts the heat on Waldron, a first-time playcaller who suddenly appears to hold Wilson’s future in his game plans (assuming the relationship between Wilson and Carroll is salvageable).

Continue reading Wilson’s future in Seattle may depend largely on Waldron →