Seattle Seahawks superstar quarterback Russell Wilson has voiced his displeasure with all the sacks and hits he’s taken over his brilliant and Hall Of Fame-worthy career. Running around like a roach avoiding Raid and being treated like a pinata by opposing defenders, eventually, isn’t worth the money.
“I’m frustrated with being hit too much,” Wilson flat out said in an interview.
Sounds like Wilson is drawing a line in the sand and Seattle needs to listen.
READ MORE: Black QB Chronicles: Russell Wilson Is Probably The Most Important Black Quarterback In NFL History
Russ and his camp are very frustrated with the lack of pass protection as he’s been sacked 394 times in 9 seasons, which is an average of (43) per season. Very easily the most for any QB since the AFL/NFL merger. He’s also been sacked another 49 times in the postseason. Russ has been the most pressured signal-caller in the league since being drafted in 2012.
Despite this, he’s a magician and has made staying upright look easy at times.
Over the past three seasons alone, Wilson’s been under pressure (QB hits, hurries, sacks) an astounding 521 times. That’s an average of 173 per season, which over 16 games is equal to 11 per game for QB hits, pressures or sacks per game.
This is a lot for any QB, but especially for one who’s considered mobile, and escapes tons of pressure weekly or this number would be much higher. That is a direct result of a lack of quality pass protection.
Busted Offensive Lines
During the RW3 era, the franchise has only had an offensive lineman make the Pro Bowl four times. Guard Max Unger in (2012 and 2013), tackle Russell Okung in (2013), and tackle Duane Brown was the latest in (2017). The team has only drafted an offensive lineman once in the first round with Wilson as the starting quarterback. That happened in 2016 when they drafted Germaine Ifedi (31st overall). The team then grabbed an offensive lineman twice in the second round, Justin Britt (2014) and Ethan Pocic (2017).
The abuse Wilson has taken and the mismanagement when it comes to personnel has always convinced him that he needs to take a more active role in decision making because it is his ass on the grill every week.
“I’ve been sacked almost 400 times,” Wilson said, “so we’ve got to get better.”
Possible Trade?
If things don’t get better, Russell has three years left on his contract, which also has a “no-trade clause.” This means Dangeruss can dictate what team he goes to if he and the Seahawks see fit to move on from one another.
Wilson isn’t one to complain, he usually just brings his hardhat and goes to work each and every week, leaving it all on the field. But when I hear his camp is inquiring about these types of things, it tells me that’s him because they’re not going to speak like this if he hasn’t already expressed this to them.
Could it be his agent trying to get some leverage as a new contract could and will be discussed soon?
I don’t know what to believe but it’s no way in hell he should restructure his deal to get help. They had him under a rookie deal for five years and that was the time to upgrade the roster knowing his big payday was coming and they never addressed the most vital area; the guys up front who are assigned to protect your investment.
Russ was a 4th round draft pick, meaning he wasn’t making much at all. In 2012, he signed a 4-year deal worth $3M ($526K) per season with a fifth-year option, that would pay him $619K. That was the perfect time to fix the issues on that sieve of an offensive line.
Why should the Black quarterbacks always make these moves to accommodate the franchise when the franchise didn’t do much forward-thinking to help themselves? It’s very rare that Wilson’s caucasian counterparts go through this, as they seem to find money to address needs as it pertains to those signal-callers.
This team is no better than 5-11 or 6-10 without Wilson. With him, they’ve made the postseason in 8 of his 9 seasons in Seattle including two Super Bowl appearances, winning one.
And to date, he still hasn’t received one NFL MVP vote, which I find insane and utterly ridiculous.
Time To Move On From Pete Carroll
Per reports, he still wants to stay in Seattle. I honestly believe having an old-school defensive-minded head coach like Pete Carroll has caused a lot of this to manifest. I think it’s crazy they haven’t been able to find a new innovative offensive coordinator who’s capable of meshing his and Wilson’s skills together to be downright dynamic. Or have they?
And could the older Carroll have felt threatened by this happening and maybe, costing him his job? The league is leaning towards more of the young up and coming offensive minds as head coaches. Just something to think about.
Let’s not forget Russell Wilson is a loving, devoted husband and father and I can assure Ciara and the family (Russ and Ciara will be on Feb. 23 cover of GQ) want him in one piece, with all his marbles when he hangs up his cleats.
