Seattle Seahawks: 2015 Will Be Last Hurrah For This Group

Just like any past NFL team to enjoy success over a the course of a few seasons, the Seattle Seahawks’ current window will close after 2015.

It’s a cruel reality any great team must face: success, for how many years it was enjoyed, is never permanent.

This reality is even more disheartening for those dominant teams during recent times of the National Football League.

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The hard salary-cap, and every else surrounding the collective bargaining agreement, has created system that thrives on parity and cripples potential dynasties. The natural order for championship teams is obvious.

These special squads are made up of great talent. They elevate their game to such a level that their team sees more airtime. Then, they become household names and eventual stars, which garners more money and creates headaches for championship general managers.

For Seattle Seahawks boss John Schneider, his nightmare is only beginning.

The reason these Seahawks became the team they are is not due to the 12th man. It is due to fantastic drafting.

Oct 6, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) scrambles against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedEx Field. The Seahawks won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Picking up the likes of Richard Sherman in the fifth-round, Bobby Wagner in the second-round, Kam Chancellor in the fifth round, and quarterback Russell Wilson in the third round, has provided Schneider the ability to fit pieces around these stars who made such an extremely low salary due to their draft position.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) celebrates after an interception against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When dealing with the salary-cap, NFL bosses work with one big puzzle, determining which positions (and depth) is paid out and weighed more heavily than others.

Unlike every other team, who has to deal with shoveling money to their franchise quarterback, the Seahawks have enjoyed the most useful weapon in the game over the past three-seasons.

This weapon is their signal-caller only making an annual-salary that has averaged $749,176, via Spotrac.com.

Once Wilson starts making some real money, the salary he deserves due to terrific play, Seattle’s depth and current feel as we know it will be gone. Their team is going to look incredibly different come 2016.

Players who are already locked up to long term deals include the aforementioned Sherman and Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, K.J. Wright, Marshawn Lynch, and the newcomer, Jimmy Graham. All eight of these guys represent the core and are all signed through either the 2018 or 2019 seasons.

Notice some of the names who weren’t mentioned. Guys like Russell Okung, Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin, Brandon Mebane and Jermaine Kearse are all scheduled to become free agents after the 2015 season.

Like Wilson, Wagner will also be expecting a tremendous pay raise.

It will be an impossibility to keep this current team intact based on Wilson and Wagner’s impending paydays.

Furthermore, there are 37 players who are currently on the last year of their contracts.

With only $12,253,694 in cap space (also via Spotrac.com), and some of that being tied up in 2015 rookie contracts, Schneider will have to pick and choose which key components he’ll bid farewell to after 2016.

What shocked me about the Graham trade with New Orleans was not that Max Unger was traded – although he is a very good interior offensive lineman and incredibly underrated – it was the fact that Seattle is okay with going into the 2015 draft with no first-round pick.

It will be an impossibility to keep this current team intact based on Wilson and Wagner’s impending paydays.

This first-rounder could have gone a long way for a team who needs to hit a home run in the 2015 draft.

Granted, Schneider does have 11 draft picks in total, but to come up with another Sherman, Chancellor, or Wilson-type late in the draft will be a difficult task. It’s already starting to prove tough.

Dec 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable (left) talks with offensive guard J.R. Sweezy (64) and offensive tackle Justin Britt (68) on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Schneider compiles mid-round picks every offseason ever since his mid to late round successes have been well chronicled. Only one of Schneider’s 20 draft selections in the past two seasons – right tackle Justin Britt – has garnered a player who is currently a starter on paper, according to Ourlads.com. It is worth noting that Luke Willson did start at tight-end prior to Graham’s arrival.

Is some of this due to the insanely high talent level Seattle currently enjoys? Sure. It’s tough to crack that starting lineup.

More importantly though, what it tells us is that not only do you have to be good (during the draft), you have to be a little lucky too.

A perfect example of one of these recent picks not panning out comes in the form of running-back Christine Michael. As a second-round pick in 2013, Michael represented the perfect guy to assume the starting back spot as soon as Lynch ran out of gas. Well, Lynch is now 28 and just signed a multi-year deal.

Of course Michael isn’t Lynch (not even close), but it tells us Michael hasn’t fully panned out to expectations in the Pacific Northwest. If he did, they’d feel comfortable with him replacing Lynch (and saving incredible money against the cap which is a huge priority at the moment).

If common-sense prevails during the 2016 offseason, then Okung and Mebane are both goners. Their departure will free up about $13 million in cap room which will help towards paying Wilson and Wagner.

On top of Okung and Mebane, other complimentary guys such as Kearse, Irvin, Doug Baldwin, Robert Turbin, Jeremy Lane, J.R. Sweezy, Chris Matthews and Ricardo Lockette are all in danger of finding bigger paydays elsewhere.

This is not to say the Seahawks won’t be able to compete in 2016 and beyond. If the Seahawks 2015 draft class comes out looking like roses, and the 2014 collection develops further, Seattle will continue to enjoy success after 2015.

In any event, because of Wilson and Wagner needing huge pay days, and all the talent currently collected on this team that will receive attention from other organizations, 2015 will be the last ride for this specific Seahawks team as we know it.

It seems inevitable that we will see a drastically different supporting cast in 2016.

Next: Will Marshawn Lynch Begin To Decline?

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