Jim Moore: Either Russell Wilson or Pete Carroll has to go at this point — take your pick

Most Seahawks fans know there will be major changes in the offseason. Whether that means they’ll move on from general manager John Schneider, coach Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson, or two of the three or one of the three, I can’t see all of them returning.

Last week I pushed for a trade of Wilson for several reasons: He hasn’t played well for a season and a half, and to think he’s magically going to return to the premier player he once was seems iffy at best. So why not get what you can now before his trade value diminishes?

And with the Jamal Adams trade taking away their first-round pick, which is currently No. 6 overall, the Seahawks could get two or three first-round picks by dealing Wilson to the Eagles or Giants and use those picks to address weaknesses on the roster that have been contributing factors in falling short of the Super Bowl for eight years.

Granted, a Wilson trade could result in a much less talented quarterback taking over, potentially making it look silly in hindsight. But in my mind we’re talking about who Wilson appears to be now, not what he once was. I wouldn’t have wanted to get rid of who he was two or three years ago.

Plus, think about it, even with Wilson at his best, the Seahawks still haven’t been to a Super Bowl since 2014.

But let’s say they decide to keep Wilson, insisting that he’ll become an elite quarterback again in a new system, even though he’s 33 and seemingly on the decline, particularly with decreased mobility.

I think we pretty much know if that happens, Carroll will be out as the head coach, don’t we? As far as I can tell, in spite of the nice stuff they say about each other publicly, it’s a marriage that’s run its course.

The biggest difference is their offensive philosophy. Carroll’s focused on the running game while Wilson wants to air it out more than his coach does.

I feel like Wilson has begrudgingly fallen in line with Carroll’s approach and was OK with it when it worked. But it hasn’t worked for quite awhile now, even with two different offensive coordinators, so why would anyone sign up for another year of Carroll and Wilson together?

It’s hard to blame either one. Carroll’s been a consistently successful coach doing it his way. Wilson no doubt wants to take advantage of his throwing ability with two of the league’s best receivers, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

If I had to pick a side on this one, I’d go with Wilson. Why not emphasize the strengths you have, especially when your top running back, Chris Carson, has been out most of the season?

In 1984, coach Chuck Knox abandoned his Ground Chuck offense in favor of Air Chuck after running back Curt Warner suffered a season-ending injury in the first game. Behind Dave Krieg and Steve Largent, the Seahawks went 12-4 and won a first-round playoff game.

I also remember one season in Mike Holmgren’s time as Seahawks coach where he got so sick of seeing his running backs going nowhere that he just said the hell with it and went primarily with a passing game.

I can’t see a stubborn Carroll budging from his long-held belief in the importance of having a punishing ground game even when it’s not working. I’ll never forget the playoff game in Dallas in 2019 when the Seahawks kept trying to establish their running game against a Cowboys defense that was No. 1 in the NFL against the run all season in home games. The Seahawks gained 73 yards on 24 carries and lost 24-22.

Carroll wasn’t a big fan of the whole “let Russ cook” thing in the first eight games of the 2021 season, but went along with it because the Seahawks were the highest-scoring team in the league at the time. But when Wilson had a subpar game at Buffalo, the Seahawks went back to their old offensive philosophy and sputtered the rest of the season.

Everyone’s got an opinion on what the Seahawks should do in the offseason. Former Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril tweeted this week: “I’m gonna say this once more…if you’re a real fan you don’t ask for change after one bad season out of 10.”

I get what he’s saying. Avril played for an 0-16 team in Detroit and knows how bad things can be. This streak of winning seasons, which ends this year, is highly unusual in professional sports. If the Mariners had eight winning seasons in a row, even if they didn’t make it to the World Series, they’d be celebrated, given their history.

But I’ve always thought if you have a quarterback the caliber of Wilson, any season short of playing in the Super Bowl rates as disappointing.

Which is exactly what it will be in 2022 if Carroll and Wilson stay together, no matter what else changes. So if you think Wilson should stay, Carroll must go.

Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on 950 KJR-AM, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.