Getty Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson faces an uncertain future.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t sound like he’s losing confidence in Russell Wilson.
Despite all of the speculation that Carroll and Wilson could be closing out their final season together, the longtime Seahawks head coach made sure to stress confidence in his veteran quarterback following the team’s 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Carroll stated the following during a radio interview with 710 ESPN on Monday, December 27.
“The quarterback position with Russ having to deal with what he’s dealt with, which most players could not have handled the way he did, we’ve got to see how he bounces back,” Carroll said. “He will certainly be great again. He’s going to be a great player. I don’t feel like it shows right now, but I think that’s what’s going to happen because he’s got it in him to do that. So we build around those factors and all of the pluses that we can generate.”
The Seahawks were officially eliminated from playoff contention following their latest loss. At 5-10, the Seahawks will finish with their first losing season of the Carroll/Wilson era. It’ll also be just their second non-playoff season together.
As a result of Seattle’s struggles this season — and Wilson’s own on-play struggles since returning from middle finger surgery — Wilson has been involved in trade speculation.
Carroll Shuts Down Rebuild Talk
However, the 70-year-old Carroll not only seems to indicate that he’ll return next season, he’s signaling that the Seahawks are not heading towards a rebuild — which would seem to indicate that Wilson will be back next season.
“Not for one reason at all am I thinking that we have to restart this whole thing and create a new philosophy and a new approach and all that. I don’t think that,” Carroll said. “I think we’ve got the essence of the things that we need. We’ve got to build on them, we’ve got to support it better, and we’ve got to continue to grow and progress. There’s no standing still, but there’s the foundation for doing things.”
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Both Seahawks and Wilson Have Options
Wilson has two years left on his contract at a $77 million cap hit. Trading Wilson while his value is still high at the age of 33 would help the franchise reload and stock up on draft assets that they previously lost in the trade for safety Jamal Adams back in 2020. The Seahawks do not currently possess a first-round draft pick for 2022; the New York Jets hold that pick from the Adams trade.
If the Seahawks do choose to trade Wilson, a major-market team is the most likely scenario. If that’s the case, the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders could emerge as potential suitors. If Wilson is looking to play for an immediate Super Bowl contender, the New Orleans Saints would emerge as the most likely scenario since they’re just missing one key piece — a franchise quarterback.
It’s also worth stressing that Wilson features a no-trade clause in his contract. That means he literally controls his own future.
Regardless of what ends up occurring, it’ll be one interesting offseason in Seattle.