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The dismal Seattle Seahawks season could have broader implications than just the team missing the playoffs. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar believes the Seahawks’ loss to the Cardinals cemented the end of the Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson partnership in Seattle.
During the Man 2 Man podcast, Dugar predicted that changes are coming this offseason with some combination of Carroll, Wilson or general manager John Schneider exiting Seattle.
“To be honest, I really thought it was over this offseason because Russ basically was like, ‘Look, if we’re not going to be competing for Super Bowls, I really don’t want to be here,'” Dugar detailed on the November 22 episode. “And I was like, you’re probably not going to be competing for one this year, so that means it’s over. …No, I didn’t think it’d be over in November. I thought maybe we’d at least get to January, some snow [would] be on the ground by the time it’s over. No, it’s over right now, today.
“There’s no reason to think that Pete and Russ and John can co-exist in this space going forward with the roles and the power each one has or does not have in Russ’ case or John’s case. You just can’t, this is done. This is a rap. Russ basically let it be known, ‘If we ain’t winning, I’m out.’ They ain’t winning, so somebody needs to be out. Maybe it’s Russ, maybe it’s Pete, maybe it’s John. Maybe it’s all three. That would actually be terrible to do that, but there’s no doubt. There’s no might, there’s no ambiguity. It’s over.”
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Wilson on Future With Seahawks: ‘All I Think About Is Right Now’
After the Seahawks’ loss to the Cardinals, Wilson was asked how the team’s 3-7 record impacts his feelings on his future in Seattle. Wilson emphasized his love for “this team…this organization” but largely brushed off the question to focus on the rest of this season.
“It doesn’t impact any of my thoughts at all,” Wilson responded during his postgame press conference. “All I think about is right now, what we’re gonna do and how we’re gonna do it. I love this team, I love this organization. I love being here and so like I said, I like the challenge. I’m looking forward to it, it’s gonna be a great story.”
‘Carroll Has Earned the Right to One More Year,’ Says Analyst
Not everyone is convinced that major changes are coming for the Seahawks. The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta leaves the door open for a late-season turnaround fixing things. Condotta added that Carroll has “earned the right to one more year if he wants it.”
“I’m not willing to go that far just yet,” Condotta detailed on November 22. “If things turn around some in the last seven games I can see scenarios where everyone involved can be convinced that it makes sense to give it a go for one more year. Carroll will be 71 next year, and the view is he either is here with Wilson and trying to still win it all, or someone else comes in for the rebuild if they decide to start over.
“Carroll has earned the right to one more year if he wants it, even if this season continues to veer off the rails. But would Wilson want to hang around? That’s the bigger question. He turns 33 next Tuesday, and, if the Seahawks don’t make the playoffs this year, will have won just one playoff game in the last five seasons. They may not be playing for a playoff spot the next seven weeks, but they may be determining the franchise’s future.”
Changes are likely coming in Seattle, but the bigger question is whether it will be the players, coaches or front office. If the Seahawks’ tailspin continues, it could come at all three levels.
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