Seattle Seahawks

Ahead of the final day of the NFL regular season Sunday, speculation about potential coaching changes is getting louder.

Per CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, the New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans are all "at least having internal discussions" about making a change at head coach after this season.

The most surprising team on that list is the Seahawks, if only because there's been no real chatter about Pete Carroll being in danger. He signed a contract extension last season that runs through 2025.

One potential complicating factor is Russell Wilson's status. The eight-time Pro Bowler told reporters this week he hopes to win more Super Bowls in Seattle.

"My goal is to win more Super Bowls, and my plan is to win them here," Wilson said. "It's that simple. There's nothing really else other than that."

Mark Rodgers, Wilson's agent, told ESPN's Adam Schefter in February his client hadn't asked for a trade but would approve a deal to the Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys or New Orleans Saints.

It's unclear if Wilson will want to pursue a trade this offseason, but this is the first time during his 10-year career the Seahawks have posted a losing record.

The Texans and Giants are both in a bad position right now and may want to move forward with someone new in 2022.

David Culley was hired by Houston in January 2021 after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant on John Harbaugh's staff with the Baltimore Ravens. He has led the Texans to a 4-12 record heading into the final game of the season.

Joe Judge has a 4-12 record in his second season as Giants head coach. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reported Dec. 13 that Judge was "widely expected" to be back for another season because team owner John Mara is high on him.

That report did come out before Judge went on an 11-minute rant defending the program he brought in after New York's 29-3 loss to the Chicago Bears on Jan. 2.

Heading into the final game of this season, Judge has a 10-22 record for the Giants. They have ranked 31st in scoring offense in each of his two seasons as head coach.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders have already fired their head coaches during the season.    

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf suggested Thursday that he is interested in signing a contract extension with the team.

According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Metcalf was asked about potentially signing a new deal with the Seahawks and replied: "Of course. I'm not trying to leave, but we've got the Cardinals to focus on right now. You can hit me up later in the offseason if you need that question answered."

The Seahawks have been eliminated from playoff contention this season with a record of 6-10, but as Metcalf alluded to, they can play spoiler Sunday, as a win over the Arizona Cardinals would prevent the Cards from winning the NFC West.

Metcalf is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2022, and he is scheduled to make $1.1 million, per Spotrac.

The second-round pick out of Ole Miss made an instant impact as a rookie in 2019, registering 58 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns as one of quarterback Russell Wilson's favorite targets.

He reached elite status in 2020 with 83 catches for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl nod.

Metcalf's numbers are largely down this season, as he enters the final game with 70 receptions for 909 yards, although he has a career-high 12 touchdown grabs.

A big reason for the drop-off is that Wilson missed three games and a large part of another because of injury, leaving Geno Smith as the temporary starter.

Metcalf has just one 100-yard game this season, but he has scored four touchdowns over the past two games, including three in last week's 51-29 win over the Detroit Lions.

Signing the 24-year-old wideout to an extension figures to be a top priority for the Seahawks this offseason, as fellow starting receiver Tyler Lockett is locked up through 2025.

Many have speculated about Wilson's future and whether a trade could be on the horizon, but if the Seahawks can re-sign one of his top weapons in Metcalf, it might go a long way toward making Wilson want to stay in Seattle.

Amid speculation about his future ahead of the offseason, Russell Wilson sounds as though he wants to stay with the Seattle Seahawks. 

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Wilson said his "goal is to win more Super Bowls" with the Seahawks:

Talk about Wilson's long-term future with Seattle dates back to last offseason. The eight-time Pro Bowler's agent, Mark Rodgers, told ESPN's Adam Schefter last February his client hadn't requested a trade, but he would approve a deal to the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints. 

While nothing came of those rumors, Wilson's name is out there again as this season winds down. 

Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, there is "little to no chance" of an extension for Wilson in Seattle and the two sides are likely headed for "another contentious offseason" with the possibility of a trade believed to be "very real."

Wilson still has two years remaining on his deal and carries low base salaries of $19 million in 2022 and $22 million in 2023, per Spotrac. He does have cap hits of $37 million and $40 million. 

This has been the worst season for the Seahawks during Wilson's career, which dates back to 2012. They are going to finish under .500 for the first time since 2011 and will miss the playoffs for just the second time in the past 10 seasons. 

A finger injury forced Wilson to miss time for the first time in his career. He sat out three games from Week 6 through 8. The 33-year-old has the worst QBR of his career (51.5), though he is still completing 65.2 percent of his attempts for 2,875 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 starts. 

Wilson and the Seahawks will wrap up their season Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.    

Seattle Seahawks veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner recently said that his future with the team is uncertain, but he sounded a bit more positive when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.

Wagner was asked if his contract situation will affect whether or not he plays in Sunday's season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, and he said he's not worried about that at the moment.

"I don't feel like this is my last time putting on a Seahawks uniform. I don't feel like this is my last time doing that," Wagner said, per ESPN's Brady Henderson. "I understand there is a business side to this, but there is a lot of optimism on my end that I'll be back."

Wagner, who suffered a knee injury on the opening play of last Sunday's dominant victory over the Detroit Lions, is set to enter the final year of his contract next season. He acted as his own agent and negotiated a three-year extension worth $54 million in 2019, which would count for a $20.35 million cap hit in 2022.

At 6-10, the Seahawks are set to finish in last place in the NFC West for the first time since 1996. Seattle could be in for a rebuild this offseason, which would make Wagner a candidate to be released or traded since his $16.6 million base salary is not guaranteed. If the Seahawks choose to retain him, the team may want to renegotiate his deal.

A 10-year veteran, Wagner openly expressed his desire to remain in Seattle for the long term.

"I love this team. I love the Seahawks," he said. "So I always wanted to be a part of a franchise's good times and bad times and every time. So this is a team that I would love to be able to be a part of for a very, very long time."

Wagner earned his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl selection this season. The six-time first-team All-Pro surpassed his own franchise single-season tackles record with 170 total stops this year. 

The Seattle Seahawks reportedly aren't expected to make any significant changes to their coaching staff following a playoff-less 2021 NFL season, with head coach Pete Carroll expected to remain in charge.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported the update Wednesday but noted there's still uncertainty about the future of quarterback Russell Wilson:

The people I talk to in Seattle definitely aren't expecting seismic change there, so we will see. My understanding is Carroll is under contract for several more seasons, and I think when his time there is done, he'll have a lot of say in that. The big question there is what happens at quarterback, whether Russell Wilson wants to leave and whether that would signal enough of a change to prompt Carroll to rethink how big a rebuild he wants to undertake. But so far, everyone has made good on their word to keep offseason issues to the side and keep their focus on the season. Which isn't a big surprise, given the track records there.

The Seahawks got off to a 2-5 start to the current campaign and could never recover. They'll carry a 6-10 record into Sunday's season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

That lack of success has created a "leaguewide feeling" the successful Carroll-Wilson partnership will come to a close in the offseason, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday.

Carroll denied there were any early discussions about a potential trade of Wilson, who's under contract through 2023 as part of a four-year, $140 million deal.

"The kind of conversations that we have behind the scenes are not in line with the rumors," Carroll told reporters Monday. "OK? There you go; they are not at all. We have been talking, we have been together and connected throughout this whole season. That's why it's easy to dismiss those at this time."

Wilson had appeared to hedge his bets when asked about his future before Sunday's blowout home victory over the Detroit Lions, though.

"I know for me personally, I hope it's not my last game [in Seattle], but at the same time, I know it won't be my last game in the NFL," the eight-time Pro Bowler said. "So I'm just focused on today and getting better today. So that's my focus and that's my goal. I love this city, and I love this moment."

Wilson will fall well short of the career-high 40 touchdowns he threw in 2020 this season, but he's remained efficient with a 22-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 13 games.

In turn, there would likely be no shortage of suitors if the Hawks made him available for trade during the offseason, though Wilson would have to agree to the destination because of his no-trade clause. The 33-year-old University of Wisconsin product is still in the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks when healthy—he was hampered by a finger injury in 2021.

Carroll has compiled a 118-73-1 regular-season record across 12 years in Seattle. He led the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014, highlighted by winning the Super Bowl XLVIII title. Wilson joined the team in 2012 as a third-round pick.

If a blockbuster trade takes place in the months ahead, it'll mark the end of one of the best coach-quarterback partnerships of the current era.

There appears to be a disconnect between speculation about Russell Wilson's future and what he's saying to key members of the Seattle Seahawks. 

Head coach Pete Carroll told reporters his talks with Wilson are "not in line with the rumors" floating around about the seven-time Pro Bowl quarterback. 

"We have been talking, we have been together and connected throughout this whole season," Carroll said. "That’s why it’s easy to dismiss those at this time."  

Speculation about Wilson's future with the Seahawks has been happening since last offseason when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported he would approve a trade to the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints or Las Vegas Raiders. 

Even though Wilson didn't formally demand a trade at that point, it did cast doubt about his long-term status in Seattle. 

After the Seahawks were officially eliminated from playoff contention following their Week 16 loss to the Bears, Wilson's future became a key talking point once again. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported before Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions that it "could potentially be the last time" Wilson and Carroll are on the same sideline at Lumen Field. 

"There is a leaguewide feeling, according to sources, that Carroll and Wilson will not be together again next season, which would represent the end of one of the most successful head coach/quarterback duos in NFL history," Schefter wrote.

Speaking to reporters on Dec. 30, Wilson was vague when talking about whether he will be in Seattle next season:

I know for me personally, I hope it's not my last game, but at the same time, I know it won't be my last game in the NFL. So I'm just focused on today and getting better today. So that's my focus and that's my goal. I love this city and I love this moment. I love these guys. We've got to make sure we get better today. That's the only thing that matters.

This has been the worst season of the Wilson-Carroll era of Seahawks football. They have clinched their first losing record since 2011 when Tarvaris Jackson was their starting quarterback. 

Wilson missed three games earlier in the season because of a finger injury that required surgery. He's continued to put up solid stats with 2,875 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and a 65.2 completion percentage in 13 starts, but his 51.5 QBR is the worst of his 10-year career. 

The Seahawks still have Wilson under contract for two more seasons, so a potential parting of ways with Wilson will likely come via trade.

Wilson has been the quarterback for the most successful era of Seahawks football. He has led them to eight playoff appearances, four division titles, two Super Bowl appearances and a victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.     

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett opened up about his experience with COVID-19.

"It was very exhausting," he said, revealing he lost approximately eight pounds in a week, per Gregg Bell of the News Tribune. "I could barely move. My throat was hurting. I had chills. My chest was hurting. I was very, very anxious."

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times noted Lockett is vaccinated and has promoted the benefits of being vaccinated in the past. Lockett said he had not yet gotten his booster shot but is planning to do so.

The wide receiver tested positive on Dec. 16 and missed Seattle's loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 21.

"People see COVID as just whatever, until you actually get it or you go through it or other people in your family go through it, and you see how detrimental it is," he said. "And you see how people do die from this stuff. That's why I said for me, it's unfortunate that I couldn't play, but I'm also thankful that I'm able to still be here and still enjoy my life."

He also said the experience impacted his perspective:

Once you come down with COVID, you start realizing none of this stuff matters because you really just want to beat it and move past it. And I think sometimes it makes you take a step back, because we get so caught up in all these accomplishments and all these things that we care about and we don’t even realize that without our health, none of it even matters. I think being able to come back, you want to have a different perception and a different viewpoint of how you see things, but now I'm just thinking for each day that I get it, and how can I make the best out of it.

And the fact that I do have a chance to be able to have the most yards that I've ever had in my career history, that's even a blessing on its own. And that's something that if it does happen that I will be thankful for.

On the field, Lockett has been a bright spot for the 5-10 Seahawks.

He has 65 catches for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns, which marks his third straight year with more than 1,000 receiving yards. While he hasn't been quite as effective as he was last year with 100 catches for 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns, he remained one of the most consistent playmakers in the league.

Unfortunately for Seattle, it is in last place in the NFC West and eliminated from playoff contention at 5-10.

Lockett returned for Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears and tallied three catches for 30 yards.         

Russell Wilson's future with the Seahawks is uncertain, and while the veteran quarterback hopes Sunday's home finale against the Detroit Lions won't be his final game in Seattle, he knows he will at least be playing in the NFL next season. 

“I know for me, I hope it’s not my last game [in Seattle]," Wilson told reporters Thursday. "But at the same time, I know it won’t be my last game in the NFL.”

The Seahawks enter Sunday with a 5-10 record. Even if they win their final two games of the season, they'll finish with a losing record for the first time since 2011. Entering 2021, Wilson had never had a losing season. 

Seattle is heading for a rebuild, and it doesn't seem like Wilson will be a part of that. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Sunday "there is little to no chance of an extension" for the veteran quarterback and that the potential for "a blockbuster trade remains very real."

Wilson's name popped up in numerous trade rumors last offseason because of a disagreement on offensive schemes and the team's offensive line struggles with head coach Pete Carroll. The 33-year-old has a no-trade clause, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Brady Henderson reported in February that he would waive it for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders or Chicago Bears. 

The New York Giants and Denver Broncos are also reportedly suitors for Wilson, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. 

While Wilson's numbers have dipped this season, he's still one of the best signal-callers in the NFL and quarterback-needy teams would be stupid not to pursue him during the offseason. 

The seven-time Pro Bowler has completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,639 yards and 18 touchdowns against five interceptions in 12 games. He has also rushed for 154 yards and a score. 

If the Seahawks do trade Wilson, it's unclear how they will replace him. Seattle could opt to select a QB in the 2022 draft, such as Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, Ole Miss' Matt Corral, North Carolina's Sam Howell or Liberty's Malik Willis. However, there's no consensus among scouts about which quarterback in the 2022 class is the best, which is a change from the last several drafts where there has been a clear No. 1. 

The Seahawks also have Geno Smith and Jacob Eason, but neither is really starting material. They could explore free agency where Andy Dalton, Nick Foles, Jameis Winston and Cam Newton are expected to be available, but that wouldn't make sense if they plan to enter a rebuild. 

Seattle Seahawks veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner has put together a stellar season so far, but he admitted Wednesday that his future with the team is uncertain.

"You think about what the next year looks like and what the future holds because this was a season that I don't think we all planned for," Wagner said, per ESPN's Brady Henderson. "We didn't plan for the season to go this way, so obviously there's going to be some changes, and whether or not I'm part of those changes, I don't know."

After acting as his own agent and negotiating a three-year, $54 million extension in 2019, Wagner is set to enter the final year of his contract. Henderson noted that he would count for a $20.35 million cap hit for Seattle if he is retained.

Wagner's base salary of $16.6 million is not guaranteed, so the Seahawks would save money by releasing him and incur only $3.75 million in dead money.

A 10-year veteran, Wagner was named to his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl last week. He leads the NFL with 170 total tackles with two games left in the season and needs just four tackles to tie Patrick Willis (2007) and Jerod Mayo (2010) for the most tackles in a year since 2000, per ESPN Stats & Information.

Wagner, who has already surpassed his own franchise single-season tackles record, is a six-time first-team All-Pro and is on pace to earn the honors once again this season.

"I think it's something that...I'll be reflective on probably after the season," Wagner said of his franchise tackle record. "It's something I'm grateful for."

Wagner noted that he has no intentions of retiring anytime soon.

"I feel like I've got a lot of room to grow as a player, to grow as a leader," he said. "I feel like there's a lot of new technology that's going to let me play a little bit longer, so I'm excited to dive into [that] stuff, and I think we'll see how it works out."

At 5-10, the Seahawks are on their way to a last-place finish in the NFC West for the first time since 1996. The franchise is likely heading towards a rebuild, though head coach Pete Carroll recently said he doesn't see the need for Seattle to "restart this whole thing."

The Seattle Seahawks are on their way to a last-place finish in the NFC West for the first time since 1996, but head coach Pete Carroll doesn't believe the franchise needs to blow up its foundation and begin rebuilding.

"Not for one reason at all am I thinking that we have to restart this whole thing and create a new philosophy and a new approach and all that," Carroll said during an appearance on ESPN 710 (h/t ESPN.com's Brady Henderson).

"I don't think that. I think we've got the essence of the things that we need," Carroll continued. "We've got to build on them, we've got to support it better and we've got to continue to grow and progress. There ain't no standing still, but there's the foundation for doing things."

At 5-10, Seattle is on its way to its first losing season since 2011 after blowing a 10-point lead in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears. The loss officially eliminated Seattle from playoff contention, the third time the franchise has missed the playoffs in 12 seasons under Carroll and general manager John Schneider. 

The Seahawks are the only team in the NFC West with a losing record. Seattle has just two Pro Bowl selections in linebacker Bobby Wagner and free safety Quandre Diggs. The San Francisco 49ers have five Pro Bowlers this year, while the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals have four apiece. Carroll acknowledged that the team's division opponents have a talent advantage.

"We like what we've got, but you've got to admire what the other teams have and acknowledge the fact that they've got some great players over there, too," he said.

Carroll added that he's confident in the team's future, but he admitted that there's work to be done to get Seattle back to the success of previous seasons.

"Yeah, we have to continue to build, though," he said. "We've got to get better and keep bringing in the players that can help us make the difference. We've got to get healthy again, and we'll see how that goes."

The Seahawks will take on the Detroit Lions (2-12-1) on Sunday.