Heaps: ‘Real possibility’ Russell Wilson played final Seahawks home game

Even in a down year, the story of the Seahawks thumping the Detroit Lions 51-29 on Sunday isn’t super notable on its own. But there’s a chance that Seattle’s final home game of the season represented the end of an era.

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With the Seahawks at 6-10 and out of the playoff picture, there has been speculation as to what the future holds for the organization, especially as it pertains to head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider and quarterback Russell Wilson.

The 2021 season started on a high note with a quality win over the Indianapolis Colts, but that was followed by two tough defeats. Then in Week 5, Wilson suffered a major injury for the first time in his career and missed the next three games. Upon his return, Wilson struggled and didn’t look like the same quarterback he was prior to the injury to the middle finger on his throwing hand.

Wilson is under contract with the Seahawks through 2023 while Carroll is signed through 2025 and Schneider through the 2027 NFL Draft, but with the 2021 season going so poorly, there’s some thought around the league that change is imminent for the franchise ahead of the 2022 season.

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The change that many seem to expect is that Wilson will be traded this offseason, in part because he and his camp reportedly floated the idea last offseason, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that Wilson would consider waiving his no-trade clause for four teams. Adding fuel to the fire, Schefter reported Sunday that sources have told him there is a “leaguewide feeling” that Carroll and Wilson will not be together next season.

But was Sunday truly the end of an era in that regard, especially as it pertains to Wilson? Former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps weighed in on that topic during Monday’s edition of Jake and Stacy on 710 ESPN Seattle.

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“I think it’s a real possibility,” Heaps said of Wilson having potentially played his final home game in a Seahawks uniform. “I mean, I’m not going to shoot it down at all. I think it’s a very real possibility. And I hope it isn’t. I really hope it isn’t.”

Heaps said that “a lot of conversations” need to be had behind the scenes between Wilson and the front office to determine what’s next and to “come up with the solutions necessary to really turn this thing around” if Wilson is going to stay in Seattle.

“I don’t think you can throw on some fairy dust and make all this stuff go away,” Heaps said. “I don’t believe that you can look at this game against Detroit and determine that this is the team that they’re going to be moving forward. There’s a lot of work that has to be done, and I think that there’s a lot of conversations that have to happen behind the scenes in order for everyone to feel comfortable to move forward together. And that’s from every angle, every aspect – not just for Russell Wilson’s perspective alone. So I do believe that it’s a very real possibility. But I sure hope it isn’t it.”

Jake and Stacy airs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on 710 ESPN Seattle. You can find podcasts of each hour of the show in full at 3 p.m. each weekday at this link.

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