HEADLINES

Jody Allen

Seahawks Notes: Wilson, Carroll, Dunlap

February 28th, 2021 at 12:24pm CST by Rory Parks

One of the reasons for the trade rumors swirling around Seahawks QB Russell Wilson — and perhaps the primary reason — is Wilson’s relationship with head coach Pete Carroll, which appears to be strained. Apparently, his relationship with Carroll’s sons hasn’t been much better.

According to a tweet from The Athletic, Wilson believes Carroll and his sons, Nolan and Brennan, answer to no one (Nolan serves as the team’s WRs coach, and Brennan had been working as the run game coordinator before accepting a position at the University of Arizona). And, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Wilson is 100% correct.

Former owner Paul Allen “stayed deep in the background” when he was alive, and his sister, Jody Allen, has largely done the same since she inherited the team. Some league sources believe the Seahawks are essentially run by the Allens’ parent company, Vulcan Inc., which in turn defers to the head coach as the club’s de facto CEO. So while Jody Allen could intervene in light of the Wilson trade rumblings, her track record suggests that she will not do so, and that Pete Carroll will ultimately be the one to decide whether to deal Wilson.

While Wilson himself has said he does not expect to be dealt, Florio believes the 32-year-old will ultimately request a trade either this year or next. If QB and HC do not mend fences soon, it’s easy to envision such a scenario.

Now for more from the Emerald City:

  • Unlike Florio, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com does not believe Wilson will be traded. One of the reasons for that is the fact that — as our Sam Robinson wrote several days ago in the piece linked above — a trade will leave $39MM in dead money on the Seahawks’ cap. While a post-June 1 trade will allow the team to spread out that hit and actually create $19MM in 2021 space, Seattle is lacking a first-rounder and third-rounder this season, so a Wilson trade might be more beneficial if it happened prior to this year’s draft and not after June 1.
  • Still, Henderson believes the ‘Hawks will make a trade that both sheds some salary — the team has less than $8MM of cap space relative to the $180MM floor — and adds some much-needed draft capital. There is no indication as of yet that Seattle will look to trade players like Carlos Dunlap, Bobby Wagner, or Jamal Adams, but Henderson could see it happening.
  • As of now, though, Henderson predicts that the club will cut Dunlap and look to re-sign him to a less expensive contract — the former Bengal is due to carry a $14.1MM cap hit in 2021 — while restructuring the contract of franchise icon Wagner and extending 2020 trade acquisition Adams.
  • Proven performance escalators for several 2018 draftees have played a role in Seattle’s cap crunch. Since he earned a Pro Bowl nod in his rookie season, punter Michael Dickson has a $3.384MM salary for 2021 — the amount of the second-round RFA tender — while cornerback Tre Flowers is due to earn $2.183MM since he met the snap count requirement for the Level One PPE (Twitter link via Henderson). If you need a refresher, OverTheCap.com offers a comprehensive explanation of PPEs.
  • Presently, the Seahawks’ highest draft choice is their second-rounder (No. 56 overall). Given the state of the club’s offensive line, and Wilson’s recent comments in that regard, most mocks have Seattle selecting an OL with that pick, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times observes. Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis and Tennessee guard Trey Smith would be worthy Day 2 selections.

West Rumors: 49ers, Cards, Hawks, Raiders

December 25th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Week 17 practices beginning Wednesday, here is the latest from the league’s two West divisions:

  • Teams with coaching vacancies have been heavily connected to offensively oriented candidates. With a supply-and-demand issue potentially arising, certain teams will have to pivot to consolation prizes or defensive coaches. For a team eyeing a possible up-and-comer for the future as an offensive coordinator, Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required) mentions an under-the-radar possibility in 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello. Kyle Shanahan‘s QBs coach in his two 49ers seasons, Scangarello was a quality control coach with the Falcons in 2015 and Wagner’s OC in 2016. Rampant injuries have affected an already-limited offense, and Scangarello has helped UDFA Nick Mullens (18th in QBR) to some decent performances.
  • The Seahawks franchise is expected to be sold, but for the time being, Paul Allen‘s sister, Jody, is running the team. Allen confidant Bert Kolde is taking an expanded role during this time, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes, adding that the status quo appears to be working at this point. Pete Carroll said Monday he was excited about the team’s current ownership situation, and Condotta adds indications point to Jody Allen continuing to serve as the team’s chairperson for a while.
  • The Cardinals have the inside track on the 2019 No. 1 pick, but one player believes (via the Arizona Republic’s Bob McManamon) the team has too many needs not to trade down. As of now, no quarterback is looking like a surefire top-five pick. Such a scenario has not unfolded since 2013. But as Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz have shown, the pre-draft process can see some fast-rising prospects. If a member of this class gets to that point, the Cardinals could auction their pick off to a QB-needy team like the Jaguars, Giants or Broncos, McManamon offers. Entering the offseason, the Cardinals hold seven picks in the ’19 draft, their own seven.
  • Although the Raiders have discussed playing at the San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Stadium next season, the team has not picked a 2019 home yet. Listing possibilities, NBC Sports Bay Area suggests Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif. The Cardinal’s home field seats just more than 50,000 and is located a bit south of the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium. This has not been mentioned as a consideration, and many cities have emerged as such thus far. The NFL wants the Raiders to decide on their 2019 home by Super Bowl LIII.