With the Seattle Seahawks’ playoff hopes dwindling, rumors about Russell Wilson’s future in the Pacific Northwest have once again heated up. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Seahawks are making it clear that the team has no plans to trade Wilson, who is under contract for an additional two seasons.
“The Seahawks, they have all but mathematically been eliminated from the postseason, so now the speculation has begun about the future of some key figures in the organization,” Garafolo explained on December 5. “Namely, quarterback Russell Wilson who approached the team about a potential trade this past offseason, even had his list of preferred destinations leaked to the media.
“But, when I speak to Seahawks folks, and I have over the past week or so, everything I’m hearing is they’ve got him under contract for two years and then [have] the franchise tag beyond that. So, there could be some moving parts in Seattle, but they envision a future in which Russell Wilson is their starting quarterback.”
In other words, the Seahawks could play hard ball if Wilson puts pressure on the team to facilitate a trade this offseason.
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Seahawks Owner Jody Allen Is ‘Not Happy’ With the Team’s Performance
Garafolo also reported that Seahawks owner Jody Allen is not pleased with the current state of the franchise. Allen’s frustration could lead to changes this offseason, but it is unclear what those will be given head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider both recently signed contract extensions.
“I will add this, Jody Allen, who is the acting owner for the Seahawks right now, the sister of the late Paul Allen. ‘They don’t know the fan base up there. How involved is she?’ No, she’s very involved and she’s not happy,” Garafolo detailed on December 4. “She’s not looking at this like it’s a one year thing, we’ve been successful for a decade. I’d imagine there’s gonna be some changes in some form or fashion, but we’ll see what happens once we get to the offseason.”
Insider Predicts the Seahawks to Make Changes to the ‘Big 3’
The @NFLGameDay Notebook with @MikeGarafolo & @TomPelissero: Why Carson Wentz could deliver a W for the #Eagles; Don’t assume the #Seahawks will trade Russell Wilson in 2022; Could Taylor Heinicke be WFT’s future starter?; #Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire should be good to go.
The biggest changes Allen has at her disposal is the coach, general manager or quarterback. Wilson essentially holds the cards to his future given his no-trade clause which limits the Seahawks’ ability to create a bidding war if they tried to trade their franchise quarterback.
There is also the reality that in today’s NFL it is much easier to make changes to the coaching staff or front office than it is to find a franchise quarterback. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar believes that the Seahawks will make changes to one or more of their “big three.”
“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,” Dugar noted on November 22 episode of the Man 2 Man podcast. “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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Seahawks Send Strong Message on Russell Wilson’s Future: Report