From Bobby Wagner's Release to Deshaun Watson Rumors, Seahawks Face Growing Public Backlash
Kickstarting what could become a massive rebuilding effort in coming weeks and months, the past 72 hours have not been pleasant for the Seahawks as an organization and the situation continues to worsen.
In a matter of hours on Tuesday, Seattle traded franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver for five draft picks and three veteran players and reports surfaced that the team would release perennial All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. Nearly a decade after they arrived in the Pacific Northwest together, they would exit on the same day.
While neither of those moves were popular ones, the Seahawks had their reasons for making these difficult business decisions. Wilson had only two years left under contract and with the relationship between him and the organization strained, they decided to move on while they could maximize their return. As for Wagner, the aging defender had an untenable $20.35 million cap hit and cutting him created $16 million in cap relief.
Unfortunately, as if moving on from two legends wasn't enough to lower morale for those who follow the team, how Seattle handled one of those departures coupled with reports of interest in pursuing a quarterback embroiled in legal issues to replace Wilson has only drawn further ire from the fan base, creating a public relations fiasco that may just be getting started.
On Wednesday, through the team's social media accounts, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider released statements thanking Wagner for his contributions in 10 years with the team on and off the field. They also posted several videos in remembrance of his outstanding tenure with the franchise. Both seemed to be adequate gestures of appreciation to a player who has given his everything to the team and community.
But on Friday, Wagner made those statements from Seattle's brain trust ring a bit hollow, tweeting that he didn't learn of his impending release from the team before it happened.
The NFL is, and always will be, first and foremost a business. Serving as his own agent for the past several years, Wagner understands this as well as anyone. He's seen the positive side by negotiating his own three-year, $54 million extension, but he's also seen the dark side of a cold business with other star players such as cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas departing Seattle on burning bridges.
After tearing his Achilles tendon in 2017, the Seahawks asked Sherman to take a pay cut early in the offseason. When he refused, they released him outright and he quickly landed with the 49ers. As for Thomas, he infamously broke his leg during a game in Arizona early in the 2018 season and could be seen directing a middle finger towards Carroll on the sideline after staging a contract holdout in camp. Those are just two examples of a long line of legends over the past decade who haven't left on good terms.
Now, with him set to turn 32 years old in July and carrying a massive contract, Wagner himself has experienced that harsh reality. And apparently, in unbelievable fashion, he wasn't given the courtesy of being told to hit the road by Carroll, Schneider, or anyone else within the organization. Instead, he found out he wouldn't be back from ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday night, which he clearly did not appreciate.
While leaks happen, especially in today's social media era, that's bad business with a franchise pillar of Wagner's standing who deserved far better if that's indeed how things played out. It's distasteful and it's not a good look for the organization from the outside to other players and agents heading towards free agency next week.
Making matters worse, after unceremoniously discarding two of the most iconic players in franchise history, the Seahawks have since emerged as a potential suitor to trade for Deshaun Watson, the embattled Texans quarterback who currently has 22 civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct levied against him and did not play a single snap in 2021.
Understandably, many fans have been vocal on social media opposing the idea of trading for Watson given the disturbing allegations that have come to light over the past year. Aside from the fact it would cost several high draft picks to acquire him and would eat up a large percentage of Seattle's cap space, even after not being charged on Friday, a suspension is likely regardless of the outcome of his legal proceedings.
Still, Watson possesses elite talent, as he lead the NFL in passing yards and threw 33 touchdowns in 2020. A dangerous playmaker with as a runner as well, he has made the Pro Bowl in three of the four seasons he has played and he's just 26 years old, so his best football likely remains in front of him. For that reason, it shouldn't surprise anyone Seattle may be smitten by the possibility of trading for him.
Taking a risk on a player like Watson wouldn't be an unforeseen development for the Seahawks, who have granted talented, yet troubled players second chances in the past. In 2015, defensive end Frank Clark was kicked off of Michigan's football team for a domestic violence incident and Seattle used a second-round pick to select him. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed earned a six-game suspension in 2019 for his own domestic violence incident, but the team gave him another contract.
Again, the NFL is a business and everything is about the bottom line. If a player can help a team win football games, additional opportunities will arise and the Seahawks haven't been an exception to that rule with Schneider and Carroll at the helm. That's fine as long as you don't pretend that anything other than winning matters in principle and are willing to take the justified backlash that comes with adding such a player.
Of course, Seattle's interest in Watson may wind up being little more than exploratory as they sort through details and due to their background checking as they do with all players. Never leave a stone unturned as Schneider loves to say. At the same time, with news breaking on Friday that he won't face criminal charges, a potential deal could be in the works with another team quickly. Time will tell if they are a contender for his services.
Regardless, in the eyes of many fans, the Seahawks reported interest in Watson coupled with Wagner's admission on Friday are rotten cherries to put on top of one of the more tumultuous weeks in team history. While good news may start funneling in next week when free agency opens and the tough decisions made this week were never going to be popular even if they were the right ones, these latest revelations highlight two troubling patterns that unfortunately don't paint the organization in a positive light.
