Is Russell Wilson's tenure with the Seattle Seahawks coming to an end? That depends on who's asked. Wilson deferred any trade talk to the Seahawks when it was brought up to him earlier in the week, but has expressed his frustration getting sacked over the years.
After all, Seattle has seemed to neglect the offensive line when it comes to Wilson. The Seahawks have drafted just three offensive linemen over the past four seasons, one of which made the PFWA All-Rookie Team this year (Damien Lewis). The other two, Phil Haynes and Jamarco Jones, haven't provided much help for Wilson. Jones has started just five games since being drafted in the third round in 2018 while Haynes has logged just one offensive snap in two years (2019 fourth-round pick).
The frustration over Seattle's inability to protect Wilson is at a high level, says Brandon Marshall -- who played with Wilson in 2018. According to Marshall, Wilson is ready to move on.
"Russell Wilson is beyond frustrated. I think he's trying to figure out how to move on in a classy way," Marshall said on FS1's First Things First this week. "That's what I truly believe. Russ is a guy that's not concerned 'how you think about me' or 'what you think about me.' He's concerned about 'what type of legacy will I leave behind.' he's trying to leave the legacy that he did things the right way so other guys can follow that same blueprint.
"I think he struggles with how to move on in a classy way, in a way where people can look at him and say 'you know what, he still did it the right way.' Because that's important for Russ."
Marshall played seven games with Seattle in 2018, his final stop in the NFL. He saw what was developing with the Seahawks' game plan regarding Wilson, basically using him as a bailout for a highly conservative offensive game plan.
"Pete Carroll, the offense that you put in place is we're going to run on first, we're going to run on second, and if it's third and manageable, we're probably going to run on third down, and then we're going to take shots," Marshall said. "We had no quick game. There wasn't an established game outside of Doug Baldwin and then you had Tyler Lockett where it's like you had an option route -- you either break in, or you break out. That was it.
"If the deep ball is not there, of course he's going to hold on to the ball -- when you have that type of offensive line in front of you. So that is the problem."
Wilson has been sacked 394 times in his first nine seasons, the most for any quarterback since 1970 (Randall Cunningham is second with 366). The hits have been getting to Wilson, who has received help at the skill positions -- but not up front. Approving the hire of Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator is a start toward mending the fence with Wilson.
Seattle needs to accomplish so much more to satisfy its franchise quarterback. Wilson isn't getting any younger and his prime is being wasted by the Seahawks' inability to draft good offensive linemen.
