Russell Wilson not mentioned in Seahawks' letter to season-ticket holders
You know those Christmas letters that families send out every year to tell you how wonderful their lives are and how much fun they’re having? (Confession: I do this.) It’s like a distilled, concentrated Facebook feed, a carefully curated and airbrushed portrait.
Sure, you’ll read in great detail about the golden daughter’s scholarships and blue ribbons. But the son who got arrested for mooning a cop will be described as “loving life!” The dog who leaped into the mail carrier’s car, fangs bared, is “quite the handful!” It’s all about presenting exactly the image the family wants to present … and nothing more.
Holiday letters come to mind when looking at the Seattle Seahawks’ dispatch to season-ticket holders. Six paragraphs long, single-spaced, it’s quite the beauty:
The Seahawks sent out a letter to season tickets holders noting various players but it never mentioned Russell Wilson. pic.twitter.com/27lG2MiVd2
— Addicted to Helmets (@addicted2helmet) March 9, 2021
DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett get shout-outs, and new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and new run-game coordinator Andy Dickerson get love too. There’s talk of the impending draft and free agency periods, and as always, “our core focus every season is bringing home a Super Bowl win.”
Well, that all sounds lovely, but I can’t help feeling that something is … missing?
Yes, Russell Wilson, the greatest quarterback in the franchise’s history, a quarterback who posted MVP-level numbers the first half of last season, a quarterback who’s two seasons into a five-year contract … is nowhere to be found in a letter meant to hype up the fanbase for 2021.
That’s odd, right? That’s very odd.
Reports have circulated for weeks now that Russ and the Seahawks are not exactly square at the moment. Last week came the news that the Seahawks are taking calls on an asking price for Wilson. And now, this.
What does the Wilson-free letter mean? The Seahawks have not yet responded to a Yahoo Sports request for comment, but for now, we can speculate:
Genuine mistake. Some poor copywriter simply forgot to mention the most famous player in team history outside of Steve Largent. If this happened, that poor copywriter got punted into Puget Sound. Yeah, let’s put this down as “highly unlikely.”
High-octane petty. Wilson is a sensitive cat, which is fine — you’ve got to be a bit of a me-first dude to be one of the best QBs in the world. But the Seahawks might just know exactly what they’re doing by disrespecting him in this fashion. Negotiating is always easier when the other party is already on tilt.
Tail-covering. Season-ticket holders are a feisty bunch. They’re like kids who demand dessert … if those kids had high-priced lawyers at their disposal. It’s entirely possible there’s nothing in the offing involving Wilson, but there could be … and you don’t have to be Saul Goodman to see there’s class-action suit potential if a letter promised Russell Wilson and the team didn’t deliver Russell Wilson.
He gone. This is the nuclear option: the Seahawks already know that Wilson is out the door — either thrown or escorted — and the letter is a de facto acceptance of that. Where might Wilson go? Our Eric Edholm has suggested teams like the Raiders, Saints, Dolphins and Jets.
Whether the explanation for the omission is innocent or foreshadowing, what’s clear is this: these aren’t happy days in Seattle. The Seahawks are running out of time to parlay Wilson into a usable draft pick (or three) in time for this year’s draft. And the financial penalties implicit in acting now would be severe.
A Wilson trade prior to the draft could hammer the Seahawks. Prior to June 1, trading Wilson could cost $46 million in dead salary cap and other costs. After June 1, the dead cap hit spreads out, and a $7 million cap hit turns into $19 million in cap relief.
The Seahawks have a whole lot to solve between now and kickoff of the 2021 season. And next year’s season-ticket holder letter is going to get creative with the adjectives, one way or another.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybusbee or contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com.
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