Seattle Seahawks: Pete Carroll says leadership is not a problem

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said after the team’s offseason workouts ended that he’d been convinced that leadership was not an issue for his team.

The Seattle Seahawks we will see in 2018 will be very different from the one we’ve come to know. While the team plans to compete for a playoff spot, 2018 will really serve as part of a rebuilding process. But after a flurry of offseason changes, some fans are worried about who will help head coach Pete Carroll lead the rebuild.

Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman, the two most outspoken members of the old Seahawks, are no longer with the team. Former Pro Bowler Cliff Avril is also no longer on the roster. Earl Thomas, who has arguably been the best player on the Seahawks for years, is holding out for a new contract and Kam Chancellor might never even play football again. Those are five defining names in the team’s recent history. But Carroll isn’t worried.

Seahawks.com reporter John Boyle quoted Carroll saying “leadership is not an issue, not one bit”. And he’s right.

While the team did suffer some significant losses in their locker room, they still have 2017 MVP candidate Russell Wilson, vocal former undrafted receiver Doug Baldwin, and veteran left tackle Duane Brown on offense. The defense still has it’s quarterback, so to speak, in Bobby Wagner and his fellow linebacker K.J. Wright.

If anything, the remaining talent shows just how well built the Seahawks were during their best years. They still have a core of battle tested stars that will lead the team into its’ next stage. Very few teams, if any, have that kind of luxury when they decide to rebuild. That group of veterans will have to hold the team up while young players adjust to the league and try to develop into role players and starters.

If the Seahawks are lucky it will only take a year for their young talent to adjust to the game and start making contributions. If they aren’t lucky, it could be two or three years. That might be a problem because Wilson’s and Wagner’s contracts expire after 2019. Brown and Wright will become unrestricted free agents after the 2018 season.

Baldwin is the only one of the key players mentioned above that has a deal that extends through the 2020 season. Of course, the Seahawks will have the opportunity to resign all of these players, but contracts are a complicated issue. Just look at the situation with Thomas.

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The Seahawks still have a strong leadership group on their team, but it’s time with the team is limited. The team will dedicate its’ efforts over the next few years to developing new stars and young players while trying to remain competitive. Rebuilding a team isn’t quick or simple, but the Seahawks have some strong pillars to rely on during the process.