After Suffering 10th Loss, Pete Carroll Doesn't Believe Seahawks Need to Rebuild

Falling to 5-10 and officially eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the lowly Bears on Sunday, the Seahawks have endured their worst season in more than a decade. Has the time come to start from scratch? Pete Carroll doesn't think so.

Following a demoralizing 25-24 loss to the Bears on Sunday, the Seahawks hit double-digit defeats for the first time since 2009 and locked up last place in the NFC West for the first time since conference realignment occurred in 2001.

Now officially eliminated from the playoffs, a long offseason awaits in Seattle with the futures of coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider, and even quarterback Russell Wilson uncertain. After making the playoffs in eight of the previous nine seasons and reaching two Super Bowls along the way, has the time come to engage in a full throttle rebuild?

As the season slowly winds down, after sidestepping the question in his post-game press conference on Sunday, Carroll doesn't think so. On his weekly radio show on ESPN 710, he told host Mike Salk that he doesn't believe a full rebuild will be necessary to get the Seahawks back on track.

"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. "I don't think that. I think we've got the essence of the things that we need. 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."

Diving deeper, Carroll admitted to Salk that while he liked the talent the Seahawks had entering the season, his team has been "up against it" competing in a loaded NFC West division that could feature three playoff teams this season. So far this year, they are 2-3 in divisional games and still have a Week 18 road game against the Cardinals left on the schedule.

Indeed, despite having several superstars such as Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, Seattle's roster doesn't stack up compared to Arizona, Los Angeles, or San Francisco overall. The team had only two players - safety Quandre Diggs and Wagner - selected to the Pro Bowl this year, while players such as Wilson, DK Metcalf, and Jamal Adams who made the Pro Bowl a year ago saw a decline due to injuries and/or other factors.

The 49ers have five players heading to the Pro Bowl, while the Cardinals and Rams each have four on the roster, further illustrating the talent discrepancy that has played a factor in the Seahawks' demise this season.

Asked to elaborate on his comments to Salk later on Monday during his weekly press conference with local media members, Carroll reiterated his confidence in the future of the organization remains high and both he and owner Jody Allen are on the same page in regard to the idea a rebuild won't be needed.

"We've been on the same page about everything that's going on since she took over," Carroll stated.

Now 70 years of old, Carroll can't be blamed for not being interested in participating in a full-scale reboot at this stage of his coaching career. After signing a five-year extension midway through the 2020 season, he likely views a retool similar to the one the Seahawks executed after missing the playoffs in 2017 as the best chance to get back to the Super Bowl.

Back then, Seattle made several notable moves jettisoning defensive stalwarts from their previous NFC West championship teams. Cornerback Richard Sherman was cut months after tearing his Achilles tendon, defensive end Michael Bennett was dealt to Philadelphia for a day-three draft pick. Several coaching staff changes were made as well, with Brian Schottenheimer replacing Darrell Bevell as offensive coordinator and Ken Norton Jr. replacing Kris Richard as defensive coordinator.

Four years later, however, the franchise finds itself in a far more bleak situation. The 2017 squad finished with a 9-7 record and with another win, they may have reached the postseason for a sixth straight year. The team only needed to make a few personnel and coaching changes with Wilson still under center to vault back into contender status with a 10-win season in 2018.

But this current incarnation of the Seahawks won't have near as easy of a time rebounding using a similar strategy. Though they have an estimated $55 million in cap space to work with heading towards the offseason, a good chunk of that money may be needed to lock up Diggs, tackle Duane Brown, and several of their own free agents. They also don't have a first round pick after dealing this year's selection as part of a blockbuster package to acquire Adams two years ago.

As far as adding outside free agents, Seattle isn't the prime destination it used to be. Trying to lure star players to come to the Pacific Northwest will be a difficult sell, especially with speculation about Wilson's future already running rampant after a down season by his standards impacted by injury.

Though he has two years remaining on his current contract, Wilson expressed his frustrations with the franchise last spring and trade rumors ensued through the draft. If he wasn't happy after a 12-4, NFC West-winning season, then he certainly may try to force his way out after a last-place finish. The 31-year old Wagner also has a $20-plus million cap charge due next year and a tough decision may need to be made about his future.

Given those circumstances, the Seahawks could certainly entertain the possibility of dealing Wilson and/or Wagner to recoup draft picks in an effort to accelerate their first true rebuild since 2011. An argument can be made such a choice would potentially offer more long-term benefits for the franchise if they can hit on several draft picks to infuse the roster with young talent.

But for now, assuming Carroll will be back for a 13th season, the ever-optimistic coach doesn't sound interested in tearing the building down to the studs and starting from scratch. Instead, he's looking forward to seeing his roster return to health and refortifying the foundation around his star quarterback, who he expects to rebound tremendously next season.

"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 quarterback position with Russ having to deal with what he's dealt with - which most players could not have handled the way he did - we've got to see how he bounces back. He will certainly be great again. He's going to be a great player. I don't feel like it shows right now, but I think that's what's going to happen because he's got it in him to do that."