The Seattle Seahawks may be in a precarious situation regarding their championship window. Their precious franchise quarterback Russell Wilson is 31 years old and will turn 32 on the back end of next season. There is no telling how long Wilson can keep up his consistently stellar play, and time may be running out.
Following Seattle’s loss to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs, the team headed into the offseason with several questions. Perhaps most notably, there are those who are concerned about whether or not Pete Carroll can elevate a team back to championship status once again.
The constant slow starts throughout Carroll’s tenure have often held the Seahawks back, even before the Super Bowl appearances. His stubborn philosophy of bringing the running game to the forefront even when it is not necessary has occasionally induced some groans although he always manages to keep the Seahawks competitive.
Carroll’s flaws have been well documented, but there may be an additional concern of exactly how many prime years Wilson has left. Particularly over the past three years, the team has relied extensively on their signal-caller to carry them to victory, but they may encounter more situations where he cannot do so in the near future.
Of course, we have recently seen quarterbacks have success into their mid-to-late 30s. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers spring to mind. However, the future is fragile in the NFL and Wilson’s prime could end up being wasted completely if the right decisions are not made to accommodate him. There is no telling if Wilson will maintain solid production into his later years like the aforementioned quarterbacks.
If there was ever a time for the Seahawks to win, it is now. However, the Seahawks must continue to build around Wilson not just so they can try to keep their window of opportunity open for the near future, but to prepare for when Wilson has passed his prime.
