By Charles Hamaker | Circling Seattle Sports

Seattle, WA – March 8th, 2022 is a day that will forever live in Seattle sports history, and not in a positive light. Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in a haul that many believed inadequate for the superstar quarterback. Just days earlier Wilson, as well as Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll, made comments about the quarterback. All three had indicated throughout the offseason that Wilson was not going anywhere. Later on, after the literal sun had set in Seattle, the sun set on an era of Seahawks history. The team had released linebacker Bobby Wagner. This move may have come as less surprising due to Wagner’s cap hit, age, and the emergence of linebacker Jordyn Brooks. With that all being said, where do the Seahawks go from here?

Who and what was involved in the trade?

Seattle sent QB Russell Wilson and a fourth round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for two first round picks, a 2022 second round pick, a 2023 second round pick, a fifth round pick, QB Drew Lock, DL Shelby Harris, and TE Noah Fant. Amongst the player pool in the package coming to Seattle, Fant has the most upside. A young tight end that has all the intangibles to be a great playmaker, he joins a receiving corps of Metcalf and Lockett, that is just missing a quarterback. Lock is still young, but has shown he desperately needs to develop his accuracy and decision making. 

Immediate impact

The immediate impact of the trade nets Seattle a solid amount of cap space, in addition to nearly $38M already this offseason. Two of the team's highest paid players are now off of the books, and the Seahawks have somewhat of a new slate to work with. With the two moves taken into account, the Seahawks move up to an estimated $51M in cap space, per Spotrac. While that is a great number to work with in free agency, you are left with two major holes at quarterback and middle linebacker. Those two spots are hard to fill normally, and the shoes left by Wilson and Wagner are nearly impossible to fill due to their impact off the field. 

Rebuild, or quick fix?

The most pressing question I have myself is, does the front office plan to go into full rebuild? Or is there a plan in place for a quick fix to get the Seahawks back into contention immediately? While it’s obvious that the quarterback Denver sent in the trade, Drew Lock, is not the answer, a few names have been floated. If his legal issues are solved (that’s a big if), Deshaun Watson is a favorite to be landed. There is speculation about Seattle, now with the ninth overall pick in the draft, selecting a quarterback. Some of the potential candidates include Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis. The issue I have with that being that this is historically one of the worst drafts to select a quarterback. 

How to proceed?

What Seattle does this offseason will either send the franchise down the dark road of rebuild, or a potential quick turnaround. That quick turnaround requires a lot of moving pieces, including a new quarterback, additions to the offensive line, and some key veterans to join the defense. If the Seahawks really are headed for a rebuild, then prepare for a few more moves to take place. Teams would love to welcome several of the Seattle starters to their roster. As has been said several times on our show, this is a critical offseason for the Seahawks front office. Now, for different reasoning. The moves made in the offseason dictate whether or not Seattle enters a rebuild, or tries to reload.

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