The End of The Run?

The benefit of having a franchise quarterback is that your team has multiple chances to win a Super Bowl.  The Seahawks since 2012 have been a consistent playoff team and have won a Super Bowl while appearing in another.

In 2017, the Seahawks run of five straight postseason appearances came to an end.  A 9-7 season is typically not the death knell for an entire franchise, but it may signal the end of the championship window for this group of Seahawks.

The players that made the Seahawks into champions are not who they used to be.  Safety Kam Chancellor's career may be over due to a serious neck injury.  Cornerback Richard Sherman will be 30 years old and is coming off of a torn Achilles tendon.  Safety Earl Thomas enters the final year of his current contract and has threatened a holdout if he does not receive a new deal. Even tight end Jimmy Graham is a free agent this offseason. Add a very suspect offensive line to these issues and you now have a recipe for a franchise reload. 

The Seahawks will have some salary cap space to play with after they make some moves with their current roster.  The goal for the team should be improving their line play and re-establishing the balanced attack they were known for over their first championship run.  On the surface, the Seahawks run offense looks fine while averaging four yards per carry in 2017.  The problem was that quarterback Russell Wilson rushed 95 times for 586 yards, making him by far the Seahawks best rusher.

Having Wilson will allow the Seahawks to compete for another Super Bowl sooner rather than later.  But the team has to begin rebuilding the lines of scrimmage that made them so special from 2012-2014.  Once they do, the next window for a championship will open up again.

Offensive Ranking: 15th

Defensive Ranking: 11th

Key Free Agents:  

Jimmy Graham - TE - Caught 10 touchdown passes but dealt with foot and ankle injuries.  What he is looking for on a yearly average may price him out of Seattle.

Sheldon Richardson - DT - The top priority for the Seahawks as a dynamic player upfront for the Seahawks defensive line.

Luke Joekel - G - Another knee surgery caused Joekel to miss five games.  

Paul Richardson - WR - A solid second receiver who caught six touchdown passes in 2017.  Capable of getting downfield with his speed on the outside.

Luke Wilson - TE - Led the Seahawks tight ends in yards per reception.  Would make sense as the cheaper option to bring back if Graham leaves town.

Bradley McDougald - S - Put together a solid season subbing in for the injured Seahawks secondary.  A backup level contract with the possibility of starting would fit here.

Potential Cuts/Restructures:  

Richard Sherman - CB - An Achilles injury cut Sherman's season short in 2017.  His rehab from that injury will determine whether or not the Seahawks choose to invest in Sherman for next season.  Cap savings: $11M

Kam Chancellor - S - The neck injury suffered by Chancellor will make it very difficult for him to continue his career.  Head coach Pete Carroll has stated publicly that Chancellor may be done with football.  Cap savings: $2M

Cliff Avril - DE - Avril was another Seahawks who suffered a career-threatening injury in 2017.  While he is determined to continue his career, the amount of cap dollars invested in him for 2018 will have to be addressed.  Avril may get a chance to play on a veteran minimum contract.  Cap savings: $7.1M