Analysis: 3 Popular Misconceptions About the Seahawks

You'll hear these three talking points on just about every platform about the Seahawks. But keep in mind that, while these things are stated as fact, they really aren't.

Everybody has an opinion about the Seahawks. Oftentimes, people feel so strongly about their opinion, it gets stated as if it is a fact. But too many times, the echo chamber that can be created in 2021 causes us to perceive reality differently than we should. You'll surely hear these talking points during the preseason but keep in mind what is—and isn't—actually true.

"The Seahawks HAVE to give Jamal Adams a new contract"

Well actually, they don't. Would it look bad if they didn't get an extension done? Yes. But the Seahawks have never been afraid to admit they've made a mistake. Look at how quickly they threw Percy Harvin out of town. No, Adams and Harvin aren't comparable, but it does show that John Schneider isn't afraid to just move on when he needs to.

Trading two first-round picks for just two seasons of Adams wouldn't be ideal. Nobody is disputing that. But what might be worse is overpaying a player just to avoid some form of embarrassment. Yes, the Seahawks are better with Adams than without him. And yes, I think they should be aggressive in their negotiations. But the Seahawks don't NEED to sign Adams just for the sake of avoiding embarrassment. That would be silly.

"The Seahawks don't have the draft capital to trade for this player"

This doesn't make much sense now, does it? Seattle actually has seven draft picks for 2022, the standard allotment that teams get each season. Seattle doesn't have a first-round pick, but they do have two fourth-round picks, giving them a total of seven. Besides this, the Seahawks haven't needed to give up major draft capital in their in-season trades. Quandre Diggs was acquired for a fifth-round pick. Carlos Dunlap came over for a seventh-round pick and center B.J. Finney. Sure, the Seahawks may not have the draft capital to acquire an elite cornerback like Xavien Howard or Stephon Gilmore, but they have plenty of ammo to trade for most veterans if they so desire.

"The Seahawks offense is going to be throwing the ball a lot more"

Are they? Because the hiring of Shane Waldron suggests the opposite. Besides that, the Seahawks dropped back to throw on nearly 63 percent of their offensive snaps last season and some people think Pete Carroll is going to sign off on that again, let alone for an increase in passing? It's not going to happen. Carroll still wants balance. He wants to be as close to 50-50 as a team can be. 

The offense will look a little different under Waldron than it has before. You'll see new concepts. You'll see new attack plans. But you will not see a higher volume of passing plays, merely different pass plays—a better "balance" of short and intermediate throws to complement their explosive play game. But Seattle is also going to run the ball. So long as Carroll is in the Pacific Northwest, it is going to be a critical factor in his offense. So yes, the Seahawks' offense will look different. But it's not turning into an air raid offense.