NFL: Predicting the week one starting quarterback for all 32 teams

Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson

Pete Carroll staying in Seattle makes this call much easier for the Seahawks. If Carroll would have been fired, retired, etc. then moving Russell Wilson to another team would make a lot more sense and essentially kickstart a new era and rebuild in Seattle. Instead, Wilson should be back with the Seahawks next season.

The biggest hang up for Wilson is his contract. If Seattle were to trade or cut him before June 1 it would actually cost the organization more than they would save. A move would cost $26 million in dead cap while saving just $11 million. Even a deal after June 1 would cut that $26 million into two seasons, being $13 million in dead cap in both 2022 and 2023, while saving $24 million.

Considering the weight of Wilson’s contract, that alone could be enough to keep him in Seattle for at least one more season. He has two years left on his deal, but the dead cap a year from now isn’t too much better, costing $13 million while saving $27 million.

There’s no question that Seattle is in limbo a bit. They play in arguably the most difficult division in the NFL and they are on the wrong side of the swing. Los Angeles, San Francisco and Arizona have all been trending up while Seattle is going down. One more round for Wilson might be it, but the money is enough to force Seattle’s hand at quarterback in 2022.