Seahawks’ reign as an NFL power is over, and it’s ending in a whimper
In the latest episode of “Man In The Arena,” the hagiographic documentary about his career, Tom Brady looks into the camera and calls Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks “the very toughest game” the New England Patriots played. Later in the show, he recalls the way he viewed Seattle during that season. “Now they’re one of the perennial teams that are like, ‘These guys are phenomenal,’ ” Brady said.
The Seahawks remained one of the NFL’s perennial standout teams for nearly a decade, helping define an era as they hovered persistently among the league’s contenders. The Legion of Boom defense, Russell Wilson’s moonballs, Pete Carroll’s infectiously goofy energy, a relentless anthology of abnormal games – the story of the 21st century NFL is incomplete without them.
That era of Seahawks football may have reached its conclusion Tuesday night with a whimper. With the assistance of a blatantly missed pass interference call on fourth-and-6 during what could have been a game-tying drive, Seattle suffered a 20-10 defeat against the Los Angeles Rams. The loss dropped the Seahawks to 5-9, shrinking their playoff chances to near-zero and clinching their first losing record since they drafted Russell Wilson in 2012. It was the final nail in a season that has for months felt like the end of something.
At 70, Carroll is the oldest coach in the NFL. Last offseason, Wilson’s agent publicly shared a list of teams Wilson to which Wilson would accept a trade. The Legion of Boom is memory, torn down years ago by injury, age and defections. The Seahawks brought in new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, but as Wilson missed three games with a broken finger, the change did nothing to invigorate their attack. Star wide receiver DK Metcalf spent much of this season sulking after Wilson threw passes elsewhere. Once bursting with star players, verve and innovative ideas that changed the sport, the Seahawks played stale football with a mediocre and seemingly unhappy roster.
The Seahawks need change this offseason, and it would be difficult to actualize the shakeup required while retaining both Carroll and Wilson. Trading Wilson could result in a haul of draft picks that would help reverse the roster’s talent drain in recent seasons. A new coach would provide new ideas in a place that may be growing too comfortable – one son is on his coaching staff, a decrease from two last season.
Under Carroll and general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks were once an incubator of NFL trends. By taking Wilson in the third round, the Seahawks beat other franchises by years to the realization that, in the modern game, mobility and accuracy can negate lack of height in a quarterback. They were also first team that showed the power of a capable quarterback on a rookie contract under the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011. The Cover 3 scheme Carroll and defensive coordinators Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn perfected proliferated throughout the league, hastening the NFL’s lean toward fast linebackers and long-armed cornerbacks.
Through bountiful drafts, the Seahawks collected an obscene collection of talent. Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman formed perhaps the greatest trio of defensive backs in NFL history. Marshawn Lynch ensured they were the toughest team on the field most every Sunday. At its yearslong apex, the ferocity of their rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers fueled the best theater in the NFL. They annihilated Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos in one of the most dominating Super Bowl performances on record.
There is no doubt the Seahawks built something special. The past eight years still leave the gnawing impression that Seattle failed to capitalize in full. They never again won the Super Bowl and only went back once, the next season, which resulted in a franchise-shaking loss. After Malcolm Butler intercepted the goal-line ball that could have been placed in Lynch’s gut, the Seahawks have not returned to even the NFC championship game.
The Seahawks have made the playoffs eight of the past nine years, but most often the trips resulted in letdown. Seattle started 10-2 in 2019, with Wilson at the fore of the MVP conversation. They finished 2-4, including a 28-23 loss in the divisional round to the Packers. They won their final four regular-season games last season, only to fall flat in the first round against a Rams team starting its backup quarterback.
Even through the disappointment, until this year the Seahawks still brimmed with possibility. Wilson spoke last year of creating a tandem with Metcalf on par with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. His starburst halted this season. Metcalf hasn’t caught a touchdown in the past six games, and 27 pass catchers have more yards than he does.
The Seahawks will not even reap the benefit of a failed season. They must send their first-round pick – seventh overall, were the draft held today – to the New York Jets as part of the trade they made last year for Jamal Adams, which stands as unmitigated disaster. Adams is a uniquely skilled safety who can create sacks and turnovers when he blitzes. But he has also been a liability in pass coverage while playing through a shoulder injury. Even if he were fully healthy, it does more than strain the imagination to see how a safety would transform this roster into a contender.
It is NFL malpractice to voluntarily part with a franchise quarterback, which, despite his injury-marred performance this season, Wilson still is. But losing the two first-round picks it took to acquire Adams, coupled with the Wilson-generated off-field rancor of last offseason, may make it tempting for the franchise to recoup draft capital.
It would have been difficult to envision Seattle in this position five years ago, or even one year ago. For most of a decade, the Seahawks were great, although not quite as great as they should have been. Now they are somewhere far removed from greatness, at a crossroads that will determine how quickly they can return. They were once perennial. Now, they are a question.