Day after day, new news continues to come out around the National Football League, especially surrounding big time quarterbacks. This week has been no different as the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson look to be at a difference. We take a look there, as well as with the new era of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a transfer linebacker looking to boost his NFL Draft stock.
Seahawks and Wilson at an impasse?
Year after year, trade rumors regarding the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson seem to fly around. This year has been no different, except this time Wilson has been outspoken about his frustration:
"“Ask any quarterback who wants to play this game, and I think, at the same time, it’s part of the job and everything else. I think that the reality is is that I’ve definitely been hit, been sacked, I don’t know, almost 400 times. And so we’ve got to get better. I’ve got to find ways to get better, too. And so just continue to try to find that. But I think that as we continue to go along the process, and I think about my career and what I want to be able to do, I think it always starts up front — offensively, defensively.”"
Over the past three seasons, the Seahawks have opted for a running back who sees the field sparingly, a two-down defensive end, and a surprisingly good linebacker. However, even with the success of Jordyn Brooks as a rookie, linebacker is not a premium position, especially for a team that has a bandaid of an offensive line.
Wilson now wants a voice in the front office, the same reason why Houston Texans’ star quarterback Deshaun Watson wants out of the organization. As it turns out, the Seahawks are not happy with how openly Wilson has been speaking this offseason. This is turning out to be an interesting offseason that has just begun.
Jaguars make questionable hire
Former National Champion-winning head coach Urban Meyer has not been shy of making questionable hires throughout his time as a coach at the college level. With the likes of Greg Schiano and Kevin Wilson hired despite damning reasons for previous dismissals, Meyer has not been shy to add them to his staff. That has not changed now that he is the top guy in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars posted all of their staff hires to social media yesterday, announcing the unit, and among them is the former Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle. This offseason, Doyle was on the forefront of serious racial bias allegations from players, leading to his dismissal.
While Meyer says Doyle was vetted extensively, this will certainly add another barrier between them and pending free agents. They even have one of Doyle’s former players as Hawkeyes in Greg Mabin. The new era in Jacksonville is not off to a great start.
LB transfer boosting NFL Draft stock with transfer to Alabama?
The fallout at the University of Tennessee has been one of the main sticking points of the offseason. After the recruiting violations marred the tenure of Jeremy Pruitt even more than his record, the Volunteers have been picking up the pieces, starting with the hire of former UCF coach Josh Heupel. This, however, has not stopped practically all of their playmakers from heading to the transfer portal.
It started with both running backs Ty Chandler and Eric Gray, then to former five-star Wanya Morris heading to the Oklahoma Sooners, and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano heading to Washington State. The biggest name, however, was linebacker Henry To’o To’o, who is now forecasted to land with the reigning National Champions. Alabama Crimson Tide is proving the rich get richer should they land To’o To’o as expected. His 2022 NFL Draft stock may be on the rise.