With Recent Extensions, Seahawks Continue Commitment to Appeasing Russell Wilson
The time between the abrupt end to the Seahawks’ season in January to the beginning of free agency in March felt like an eternity. First having to stew in the failure of an early playoff exit, the reality of an unideal financial situation began to set in. Following a year seen as their best opportunity to win a championship, how would the Seahawks be able to recover and come back stronger with one of the worst cap space and draft capital situations in the NFL?
It seemed to be an impossibility, and matters only got worse as time went on. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who took the 30-20 wild-card defeat to the Rams harder than quarterback Russell Wilson. Watching from a press box above as the Buccaneers kept Tom Brady upright for most of Super Bowl LV, as described in Mike Dugar, Mike Sando, and Jayson Jenks’s fantastic collaborative piece for The Athletic last month, Wilson’s frustrations intensified as he reflected back on the loss to Los Angeles—the plays that were left on the field by him and the lack of protection he received from his offensive line.
This would be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back in Wilson’s mind. After an ongoing tug-of-war between him and the organization in the second half of the 2020 season, the quarterback’s bitterness became too much to conceal. Feeling ignored by the Seahawks’ upper management, Wilson took to the public airwaves and, in ways that were both typical and atypical for him, gave a glimpse into his true feelings about his current situation in Seattle.
While he still played things relatively close to the vest when speaking out about it himself, that ultimately wouldn't be necessary. Those close to him, such as former Seahawks Brandon Marshall and Jake Heaps, made Wilson’s unhappiness clear to the public eye. And it was likely Wilson and/or his agent Mark Rodgers were pulling the strings, making sure it became widespread information that the Super Bowl champion quarterback could eventually force his way out of the Pacific Northwest.
Although Wilson didn’t request a trade from Seattle, ESPN’s Adam Schefter curiously reported four teams he’d be willing to go to: the Saints, Raiders, Cowboys, and Bears. The last team on that list, Chicago, made several attempts to acquire him, but the Seahawks wouldn’t budge and the Bears moved on by signing Andy Dalton.
What began as a simple plea for the organization to invest in the offense quickly turned into a nearly burnt bridge before the Seahawks could even do anything to prove their commitment to Wilson. There were still weeks to go before the new league year commenced, yet Wilson seemingly grew more impatient despite the lack of opportunity for immediate change.
Once free agency started, however, the Seahawks got to work to appease their star quarterback. Out of the gate, they competed in the markets for top available guards Joe Thuney and Kevin Zeitler, but failed to land either. All hope of fulfilling Wilson’s wish for an improved offensive line would not be lost though, as they quickly shifted gears to the trade market and utilized one of their league-low four draft selections - a fifth-rounder - to acquire underrated interior pass protector Gabe Jackson from the Raiders.
While they didn’t - and couldn’t - ignore some of their needs on the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks continued to bolster their offense with a much needed pass-catching tight end in Gerald Everett and the unexpected re-signing of running back Chris Carson, which promptly eliminated any ideas of a pure running back by committee scenario in Seattle.
To do so, general manager John Schneider had to step out of his comfort zone and operate in a way in which he’s avoided for the majority of his tenure in Seattle. With a lack of financial flexibility on the surface, Schneider enacted several measures to manipulate the Seahawks’ 2021 cap situation and push cap hits out over future years—a smart play given the NFL’s new TV deal, which is expected to lead to significant salary cap increases each year for the next decade.
Voidable years have been an offseason trend around the league this offseason and the Seahawks have been no exception in taking advantage of the loophole. Whether it be the individual contracts of Carson or Kerry Hyder Jr., or something smaller like their one-year deal with Pocic, Schneider and company have placed voidable years at the end of most of their recent deals to help spread money out and relieve themselves of financial burden in 2021. They’re still committing significant money, but more in a long-term sense, even if some of these players won’t be in Seattle while the Seahawks remain footing the bill. At almost all cost, they’re doing what they can to raise their ceiling for the 2021 season. Perhaps that’s because they view this year as their last hurrah with Wilson at the helm, or they’re truly attempting to put this conflict in the rearview mirror.
Their last two reported moves quite possibly suggest the latter, though both maintain the same purpose of majorly benefitting the team in 2021. After the trade for Jackson went through, the Seahawks quickly worked to extend him through 2023, dropping his 2021 cap hit from roughly $9.5 million to $4 million. And instead of using receiver Tyler Lockett - Wilson’s crutch in the passing game the past half-decade - as trade bait to free up cap space and recuperate picks in the last year of his deal, the Seahawks instead rewarded him with a massive four-year, $69.2 million extension with $37 million guaranteed.
Even though they haven’t acquired a ton of offensive talent from outside their organization thus far, the Seahawks are making sure they check off the most important boxes on Wilson’s checklist and significantly commit to some of his favorite pieces well down the road. And Wilson, at least at face value, appears thrilled by each piece of news that has come down in recent weeks, often taking to social media to express his delight.
More moves are also likely on the way. With the Lockett and Jackson extensions in tow, the Seahawks now have some money to play with. While they still have a couple of defensive needs at strongside linebacker and cornerback, it would seem most of their attention will shift towards the offense for the rest of the offseason.
Wilson could still be on his way out of Seattle at some point in the future, but for now, the Seahawks are not ignoring the issue or his demands. Though there have been missteps along the way, they appear to be doing what they can to build a roster deserving of Wilson’s approval with very few resources at their disposal. If he remains unhappy afterwards, there likely isn’t anything they can do to change his mind at that point.
