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Could The Seahawks Make A Splash Trade For TJ Watt?

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Is TJ ready to peace out of Pittsburgh?

Imagine that it is the last game of the season, and the Seattle Seahawks need a victory over a resurgent San Francisco 49er team in order to win the division, and host playoff games. This has been a hard fought game. An old fashioned grinder with both defenses playing well, and both offenses doing just enough.

Late in the fourth, Sam Darnold has just led a methodical five minute drive that ended with Zach Charbonnet plunging into the end zone for the go ahead score. There is two and a half minutes left in the game, however, and the 49ers need their own touchdown to win.

On the first play of their possession, Kyle Shanahan dials up a play that punks Mike Macdonald’s defenders, and 49ers now have the ball close to midfield. Seattle fans are in knots, while 49er fans are going out of their minds in the stands.

Shanahan allows the clock to reach the two minute warning. He feels confidence with his play calling, his core veteran players, and does not want to allow Seattle any chance to possess the ball again in regulation, if his team punches the ball into the end zone. He wants to crush the hearts of Seattle fans once again. There is no coach in the league who enjoys beating Seattle more than this person, and he is an apex predator smelling blood in the water.

On the first play after the two minute warning, he calls a run that the Seattle defense reads brilliantly, and Christian McCaffery is dropped for a short gain. It is now second and nine, and Shanahan has forced his offense into obvious pass plays.

During the two minute timeout, however, Macdonald had grilled his defenders to look out for Shanahan’s trickery again. They are eager to redeem themselves and have a veteran four man front on the field consisting of DeMarcus Lawrence, Jarran Reed, Leo Williams, and TJ Watt, all foaming at the mouth, and ready.

The ball snaps, and there is immediately penetration from all four defenders. The seasoned vets, however, detect a screen pass to McCaffery, and TJ Watt drops the White Bunny for a two yard loss. It is now third and eleven, but it is four down territory with the game on the line, and both fanbases are biting their fingernails. All Brock Purdy needs to do on the next play is to get San Francisco to fourth and manageable, and the victory can still be theirs.

Out of the shotgun, Purdy tries a pump fake that doesn’t work, D Law successfully bull rushes Trent Williams which forces Purdy to roll right because he can’t step up in the pocket, and this is exactly what Kyle Shanahan doesn’t want him to do. TJ Watts then explodes into him for a sack fumble, Devon Witherspoon scoops the ball up and sprints into end zone for a final TD that ices the game away for Seattle.

When the final whistle blows, and the fireworks shoot off, the entire fanbase of Seattle explodes with excitement inside Lumen field, leaving angry 49er fans are left to endure the Seeeeaaaa Haaaaaawks chants as they leave the stadium for their expensive hotel rooms. It will be a long trip back to Northern California for a lot of them, and others will have to tuck their 49er jerseys away in shame, and out of fear of being made fun of at the South Center Mall.

Who, as a Seattle Seahawk fan, would not be down for this scenario to take place next Fall?

This is what a premiere edge rush player can do for your defense. When the game is on the line, and it is do or die, that player is capable of making back to back plays in those most crucial moments that can turn the tide towards victory. That’s why they get paid the big dollars.

I will be honest in saying that when recent news came out about TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers being a ways off in contract negotiations, thus leading to a speculative belief that the team might consider shopping him, I did not think about Seattle potentially being a suitor. The need for offensive line improvement feels so great in the PNW that it has almost been my entire focus of this offseason. If anything, I have felt like Seattle should be in the market to trade for a proven offensive guard, and I still do.

But the more I allow myself to marinate in this idea of Seattle potentially doing a shocking move for Watt, the more I see the reasoning to do it, if the opportunity is there, and I can even allow myself to think that it isn’t too much of a far fetched notion. It had been reported, after all, that when Las Vegas inquired about Geno Smith, John Schneider pitched to them a propsoal of trading both him, and DK Metcalf for superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Vegas shot the pitch down, but still pursued Geno, and the rest is history.

But it is worth considering that a month ago, Seattle was trying to pry A List edger rusher Crosby out of Vegas for Mike Macdonald’s defense. Could they turn to pursue a different A Lister? It’s an interesting thought, if nothing else.

Personally, I don’t think that the gulf of talent between Crosby and Watt is that far apart. At this stage, Crosby is clearly the more desirable talent because he is three years younger than Watt, but if Watt were suddenly made available, I would have to think Seattle would likely have an immediate interest, even though they paid a handsome amount to bring in DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency. D Law is a fine veteran talent, but he is no TJ Watt. Few in this league are.

If I were to list the best pure edge rushers in this league, my order would probably go Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa, Crosby, and Watt. This is the elite stratosphere he is in even if he is 30 years old and perhaps close to slowing down a bit.

If Seattle were to acquire Watt this offseason, I believe that move pushes them significantly closer to true contender status than any offensive lineman they might draft, or trade for. He is that much of a difference maker. There is not an offensive coach in the league who won’t spend extra time accounting for him in game preparation.

It also is worth keeping in mind that Macdonald likely knows him well, having coached against him in the AFC North. He would have a good idea how to properly deploy him in this particular hybrid defense.

If they truly want to make this thing with Sam Darnold work out, I see very little harm that can come out of spending extra to make a good defense a great one this coming season. If Darnold knows he has a defense that can shut down most offenses, I would assume that would be a gigantic confidence booster. There would be little pressure to force hero throws downfield. Instead, he could feel more comfortable taking what is offered, and play within the parameters of being a quality game manager. If you have to punt and play field position, fine. If you need to settle for the field goal, okay. Be smart, play protective with the ball, eventually the other team’s defense will get tired of tackling, and that is when the bigger plays start to happen.

Great defenses tend to make quarterbacks paired with them more patient players. Bad defenses can really stress them out, and force them to press more.

This is not to say that I advocate trading for Watt in order for Seattle to win games 13 to 10 over the Rams, and such. I am just saying that there is a distinct advantage in knowing and believing that you can win games like that against tougher opponents.

The thing of it, too, is that Seattle is currently sitting on a lot of cash right now, and they will have tons of cap space available to think in 2026, and 2027. They are one of a few handful of teams who could comfortably afford acquiring Watt, and pay him a handsome contract extension, afterwards.

In fact, Vegas betters currently list Seattle as the second best favorite to land him in a deal, just behind the New England Patriots. I also think if I were Pittsburgh, I would probably rather deal him to an NFC team than an AFC one, and potentially have to play against him in the playoffs.

I can add a lot of things up in my mind that would lead me to a place of seeing John Schneider making a strong effort to get TJ Watt here. It is a pretty healthy list, actually.

There is something to be said for making your strength stronger, knowing who you are, and doubling down on it. Seattle hired a defensive guru to build up great defense to win with in Seattle. If Watt is the guy to put this defense over the top, then why wouldn’t you just bring him in, if he is available?

It is also worth noting that the true value of this particular draft is largely thought to be in day two of it. In that, it is also somewhat interesting that a lot of Seattle’s roster needs appear to be players that they can find in day two, namely guards, receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, corner, and so such. With two picks in round two, and two picks in round three, Seattle is positioned to find a couple good interior offensive linemen, and still grab a couple other talented players at other positions.

To give more legitimacy to this wild idea, I recall reading a few months back someone stating that this could be a draft were we see some contending teams at the bottom of round one trading first round picks for proven NFL talent simply because the types of players available in that range of the draft wouldn’t be that more talented than players to be had further into round two. If this is true, then it really shouldn’t that wild to think about Seattle sending pick 18 to Pittsburgh for Watt, especially if Macdonald and Schneider believe that they are really close to being a true contender, and a player such as Watt is likely the difference between building towards contender status, and actually being there.

Some people would likely hate this hypothetical move, for certain. It wouldn’t be a move that addresses the offensive line, and Watt will be 31 years old in the Fall. Seattle would have to pay him a fortune, upwards to $40 million APY based on the deals Garrett and Crosby have recently gotten. His window of elite play might only be three or four more years.

Still, the production you would get out of him, the elite traits, the leadership, the football intelligence, and all that comes with that, I don’t know if Seattle gets that stuff out of someone that they take in this draft. That is why, if they did this trade, I would be out of my skull excited about it.

The bigger question would honestly be whether Pittsburgh would be willing to deal their biggest star player.

Personally, I don’t have a great feel for that, but it does seem like they are generally in a hard spot with Watt in terms of getting him to an agreeable contract extension. The Myles Garrett and the Maxx Crosby contracts have completely reset the pass rusher market to the point where the top ones are now making quarterback money, and the Steelers just traded for DK Metcalf and have paid him an absurd amount per year, resetting the receiver market.

Does Pittsburgh want to pay Watt $40 million APY for the next four years? Would Watt be willing to take less than Crosby and Garrett when he is clearly in their class of pass rushers?

These are the questions that this whole trade scenario hinges on, and the answers right now feel mirky, if not cryptic with the out sign photo of him that Watt posted recently on social media. It is probably an obvious sign that he is not happy with how negotiations are going with his present team, at the very least.

I think it is possible that the Steelers are sticker shocked right now, and are reluctant to pay Watt top dollars when he is now approaching the wrong side of thirty. They probably don’t want to trade away their marquee player, but they also may not want to dive into a four year $160 million deal with him, either.

They do have a couple decent young edge rushers behind Watt, as well, and they also have a supreme track record of identifying edge rushers in the draft and finding great value with them in days two and three. If one team could move off of an older superstar edge rusher and replace him in the third round, in my mind, the Steelers would be on my short list to do it.

They also have an Eye of Jupiter sized need of drafting a quarterback this year, and now that Derek Carr will be lost for the 2025 season in New Orleans, there is even greater competition in front of them to take a quarterback in the first round. All signs are that NOLA will take either Jaxson Dart or Shedeur Sanders at 9 overall. The Raiders could bugger up things further by taking one of these guys at 6 overall. That could set up an unexpected chain reaction which a lot of quarterbacks go higher than expected a week ago.

There is also buzz that teams picking at the top of round two could try to jump ahead of Pittsburgh in round one for a quarterback. This is the problem they face not having Aaron Rodgers on their roster as a draft hedge.

So, there is, at the very least, a growing bit of space in my mind that if Seattle were to dangle pick 18 at them, and say, Boye Mafe, that could be enough to get Pittsburgh to bite. From a Steelers perspective, they get a first round pick and a young pass rusher with enough talent to mitigate the loss of Watt. It could be especially appealing, if they feel they can then package picks 18 and 21 to move up for a quarterback they love, if they really believe in one of those guys.

In terms of what Seattle could do in the draft to still properly address their offensive line, it is interesting that the OL players they have brought in for team visits are all most day two projections. It has made me feel, for a while, that Seattle is looking to go a different direction at pick 18. Well, what if that direction ultimately ends up being a stunning trade for a big name established veteran such as Watt?

It is a fun thought. There is only a small handful of older non-quarterback players in this league that I would feel great about shipping off a first round pick for, but Watt is definitely one of them.

Ultimately, I don’t know if this trade happens. It probably does not, but it is interesting that Seattle is sitting on about $30 million in available cap space for 2025. That does make it feel like they are perhaps searching for an opportunity to make a splash trade for a big name veteran player at some capacity.

Most would assume that it is for a veteran offensive lineman, but what if it is for an impact player at another position? What if it is for a superstar edge rusher to put this defense over the top?

Interesting stuff to day dream about, indeed.

Go Hawks.

Seahawks Land Mike Macdonald As Their Head Coach And This Is Freaking Awesome

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(Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) 

Let the Doobie Brother jokes begin. The Seattle Seahawks drafted my guy, and I don’t care if he looks like a gym rat version of Doogie Howser, either.

Over a month ago, I wrote about my deep desire to see the Seattle Seahawks become the Baltimore Ravens. It was on the heels of that embarrassing debacle at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In that game, Seattle got thoroughly pushed around by a mediocre Steelers team, players looked disinterested in tackling with playoffs on the line, and I had enough. I typed a long, rambling, semi deranged, and toxically fueled piece about needing sweeping change, and needing to see Seattle become an organization comprised of blood thirsty orcs and Tyrannosaurs.

The only team model out there that I saw as a beacon of hope, that if Seattle could just commit to emulating, was the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens had recently dismantled the San Francisco 49ers on their home turf, harassing and picking off Brock Purdy five times, and physically matching them toe to toe in the trenches. Weeks prior to that game, Seattle ventured into Baltimore and they put a thorough ass whooping on the Hawks.

With the Ravens, I saw a team comprised of strength in the trenches, speed on the outside, speed at linebacker, a dynamic playmaker at quarterback, but ultimately, I saw a team that played smart, fundamentally sound, and disciplined football. In short, I saw a team very opposite of Seattle.

So, you can image my delight when this news broke that the Seattle Seahawks have made sprite 36 year old Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald the ninth head coach in their franchise history. Bravo!

I had been keeping a very open mind though this coaching search, but he was the guy I really wanted, and not just because he was the guy Mina Kimes was banging the drums for (although I respect the hell out of everything she says). In my gut, I felt he was the best candidate, and if Seattle chose someone else, we would likely regret it for years.

Deep down, I needed a clean break from Pete Carroll, and while I wasn’t as down on the idea of Dan Quinn potentially returning as many others were, I feared a return to Quinn would have him unfairly judged by fans as being Pete Carroll-lite, and he would just never fully get out of Carroll’s shadow in his return here. I appreciate that former Legion Of Boom players were lobbying for Quinn, but if John Schneider allowed players to influence his decision making, that would frankly be pretty flawed decision making.

I will admit that I liked the idea of Mike Vrabel, but I wasn’t nearly as convinced of the greatness of Detroit OC Ben Johnson as many other fans were. I was sorta interested in Bobby Slowick for five minutes. I was also open to Mike Kafka, but the guy I kept circling back to was always Mike Macdonald. I just didn’t know if he would be interested, or if the team would seriously pursue him.

Turns out that he might have been their top choice all along based on some reports, and it was just a matter of John Schneider staying patient and waiting him out. Sometimes, things work out pretty well in the end.

I AM SO DAMN EXICTED!

I need this team to have a fresh break from Pete Carroll, and I am not completely sold on the narrative that to be successful in today’s NFL, your organization needs an offensive mind coach at the helm. Call me crazy, but I think you just need the best coach available. In my view, I felt Macdonald was most likely that guy.

You need a dude who’s vision is strong, who communicates clearly, is good with players, and it helps greatly if his Xs and Os are Grade A level stuff. In recent days, Macdonald has been described in the NFL media as a “defensive minded Sean McVay” – a guy who will adjust his scheme to attack his opponents weaknesses, week by week, and through the duration of game.

Yeah, sign me up for that.

Want to get excited about what Macdonald can bring to Seattle? In 2023, without any major investments on defensive personnel, the Baltimore Ravens had the top NFL defense in points allowed, sacks, and turnovers. First time that has ever been done, I believe.

I fully believe that Seattle is getting a bright young coach, and the cream of this coaching crop. Given the fact that they signed him to a six year contract, that tells me that they believe they have the guy who can win us titles. That should excite every fan.

Now they just need to pair him with a sharp offensive coordinator. We will see where that goes, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they are able to lure Mike Kafka out of New York with the toxic work environment of the Brian Daboll, and the Giants. Kafka was actually my dark horse candidate to win this Seahawk HC job, and it is rumored that he is so unhappy in NY under Daboll that he would be willing to make a rare lateral move.

Once I started reading up more about him, I actually grew to like Kafka a lot through this process. He’s an Andy Reid disciple who Reid and Patrick Mahomes think very highly about. I thought in 2022, he did a very serviceable job fixing Daniel Jones in New York, but things fell apart in 2023 due to the huge rash of injuries. Personally, I would love a potential pairing of him and Macdonald in Seattle, but we will see if that’s the direction they go.

What I am most excited about is Seattle pulling a guy brought up in the strong Baltimore culture to come out here. I need this team to become Baltimore Ravens West. Even more, I love the idea of pairing him with general manager John Schneider who now has full control of this team, and the freedom to lean further into his Ron Wolf Green Bay Packer background. I’m a believer in these two joined together.

I believe with John in charge for football operations, we are going to see a much strong investment in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Under Wolf, Green Bay valued the line of scrimmage players highly. In Seattle, it’s long been my hunch that Pete Carroll had always felt they could get away with going cheaper there, and John has just had to deal with that.

I also suspect that John is also itching to draft a quarterback soon, but we can get more into that another time. For now, I am just really curious and excited to see how the Green Bay philosophy melds with the Baltimore one out here.

Both organizations value offensive and defensive linemen, and both are primarily draft and develop teams. So, I don’t know if we now see Seattle slash a bunch of salaries in order to be big spenders in free agency. They might make a splash on the offensive line just because it badly needs it, but I can see them shopping for value on the other side of the ball.

The true beauty of what Macdonald has done in Baltimore is taking the 28th ranked defense a couple of years ago, and turning it into a top one, immediately, without the team spending big on talent. There are players on this Seahawk defense who would very much fit into what Macdonald did in Baltimore.

They have promising young edge rushers in Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derrick Hall, and they have good young corners in Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Tre Brown. If they can sign Big Cat Williams back at DT, their interior defensive line would be pretty similar to Baltimore’s. If they can bring back Jordyn Brooks and pair him with another fast young linebacker, I don’t think this defense would necessarily be that far off.

We will see how this coaching staff now fills out, who the OC is, if there will now be any QB change, and how free agency and the draft goes, but I have supreme optimism that with Macdonald, they can now be a true threat within the division against San Francisco and Los Angeles. Macdonald seems to match up very well against Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.

He makes things confusing in coverage and how he sends pressures. In that MNF game in San Francisco, Brock Purdy looked genuinely unsure what to do.. like he was anticipating one thing and then seeing stuff that was surprising him. I think that shows the quality of Xs and Os from Macdonald.

We don’t know tons about him because he has only been a coordinator for a few years, but he is said to be a man of high intelligence, and a clear communicator. Players praise his ability to coach up the small details and explain why it’s done the way it is. It was said somewhere recently that he’s so sharp that there was a future for him in high finance on Wall Street that he actually turned down for coaching.

While he is said to be a players’ coach, in many ways, I think we are also going to find Macdonald an antithesis of Pete Carroll in terms of personality. He’s more reserved, and buttoned down, and he’s a bit of an introverted personality. That doesn’t scare me. Abraham Lincoln was a famous introvert.

I’m introverted, damn it!

Macdonald does not need to get up in front of 53 players and give fiery speeches. Don James wasn’t that type, and he did alright. He just needs to show his players that he knows football inside and out, that he’s a strong communicator, and he’s got a great plan. He can let a top lieutenant on his staff give hype speeches.

He just needs to be himself, stay true to himself, and everything that got him here.

I am absolutely stoked beyond my mind about this hire. At the very least, I can dare to dream big again.

I want this team to become the thorn in the side of the San Francisco 49ers again. I don’t ever want to see Shanahan smirky smile again whenever we play them. I want that dude stressed out the whole freaking time.

Mike Macdonald wasn’t the hire to get this team more competitive against San Francisco and Los Angeles. He was the hire to eventually bury both franchises back into the cellar of the NFC West.

I’m here for that.

Go Hawks.