Did Pete Carroll drop hint about Seahawks’ plans for Russell Wilson?
The Seattle Seahawks are facing another uncertain offseason, with rumors once again mounting that they could move on from Russell Wilson. Pete Carroll may have offered a hint about the team’s plans this week.
During his weekly radio show on ESPN 710 in Seattle Monday, Carroll said there is no need for the Seahawks to hit the panic button after missing the playoffs for just the first time since 2011. The 70-year-old coach said he doesn’t feel the team should “restart this whole thing.”
“Not 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,” Carroll said, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “I don’t think that. I think we’ve got the essence of what we need.”
It’s possible Carroll was only referring to philosophical approach and not necessarily personnel. He followed up by talking about how the Seahawks have “operated for a long time with a real consistent approach.”
“And that’s what I’m really talking about is I think you can count on us to figure it out and to make the choices and the decisions that have to be done, coming from a philosophical foundation that we have, and have established over a long period of time,” Carroll added.
So where does that leave Wilson? The Seahawks have moved on from numerous star players during the Carroll era. However, this is the first time they have had a losing season since drafting Wilson in 2012. They were 9-7 when they missed the playoffs in 2017.
Given his age, it would make sense that Carroll is not interested in a total rebuild. It would also be hard to envision Seattle avoiding a rebuild if they part ways with Wilson, unless they somehow acquire another established veteran quarterback.
There have been some hints recently that Wilson and the Seahawks are setting the stage for a divorce. Even if Carroll wants to stick with the 33-year-old quarterback, Wilson was openly frustrated with the direction of the team last offseason. We doubt anything that happened this season made him feel better.
Wilson has a full no-trade clause in his contract. A recent report claimed he would “strongly consider” waiving it for at least three teams. Wilson downplayed the talk and said he wants to remain with the Seahawks. It won’t be long before we know if that is truly the case.
Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports