Getty Former teammates discuss Wilson and whether or not he should take a pay cut.
It’s clear that after a disappointing 2021 season, where the team earned a record of 7-10, the Seattle Seahawks need a change if they want a taste of playoff success again. There have been many speculations about change for upper management, coaching, and even player personnel. There has even been speculation of moving on from ten-time pro-bowl and three-time all-pro quarterback Russell Wilson, despite his no-trade clause.
Despite talks about a possible restart, the Seahawks could use this opportunity to take another approach to Wilson and instead see how he feels about taking a pay cut in order to pay talent on the Seahawks as well as lure in free agents that could be difference-makers on both sides of the ball.
This is a strategy that could help bring in reinforcements on the offensive side of the ball and nab wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. or provide another asset to a developing defensive squad.
This was a strategy that now-retired quarterback Tom Brady implemented during his time with the New England Patriots. However, in an interview with CBS Sports, Former Patriots GM Scott Pioli mentioned that it wasn’t the main catalyst for the Patriot’s success.
“It’s not like he was grossly underpaid,” Pioli said in the interview on March 12, 2021. “It allowed us more flexibility to extend other people, to bring in other people, to extend other good players that we drafted, or just to have cap flexibility to do more things.”
This is flexibility and luxury that the Seahawks don’t have going into the 2022 season right now and could be a difference-maker in bringing in the right personnel to the team. Some of Wilson’s former teammates have sounded off on the contract that is currently set to pay him $19 million for the 2022 season, according to Spotrac.com.
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Ex-Seahawks LB K.J. Wright says Russell Should Consider Pay Cut
Former Seahawks Linebacker K.J. Wright was on 950 KJR AM speaking about the Seahawks’ season on January 31, 2022. He suggested that Wilson should consider taking a pay cut in order to give the Seahawks more flexibility and compares it to Brady.
“You never want to count anybody’s pockets, but if you have all this money and your goal is to win, then you have to take a little less to eat so everybody can eat. We saw how Brady did it and look at him now.”
The Seahawks have a considerable amount of free agents on their team that they need to address, including notable players like safety Quandre Diggs and tackle Duane Brown. Extra cap flexibility from Wilson would help secure the current roster and add talent to the team.
Ex-Seahawks DE Cliff Avril Spoke On Wilson’s Contract
Former Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril spoke to Seahawks podcaster Dave “Softy” Mahler about taking a pay cut in order to win now.
“At some point in your career, if winning Super Bowls really does matter to you, you might have to take a pay cut,” Avril said to Mahler. “Taking a pay cut now will definitely benefit you later if you go out and win another Super Bowl.”
While Wilson taking a pay cut may help the team, it may not be the complete answer to getting back to a successful team. The team will need drastic changes in order to come out of their 2021 season slump and bring success back to the Emerald City.