In the decade-long Russell Wilson-Bobby Wagner era in Seattle, the Seahawks have played just one meaningless regular-season game.
No. 2 comes Sunday when the Seahawks play host to the Detroit Lions (2-12-1).
The Seahawks (5-10) were eliminated from postseason contention with last week’s 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears.
They’d already clinched their first losing season in a decade, leaving the futures of Wilson and Wagner in doubt.
There was some talk about moving Wilson last offseason, but he remained and has had a subpar year, including missing the first three games of his career following finger surgery.
Wagner hasn’t slowed a bit. The linebacker leads the NFL with a franchise-record 170 tackles. With five tackles Sunday against Detroit, he would have the most tackles of any player in a season since 2000.
“You think about what the next year looks like … what the future holds because this was a season that I don’t think we all planned for,” said Wagner, who has one year remaining on his deal and is set to count $20.35 million against the Seahawks’ salary cap next season. “And so obviously there’s going to be some changes. And whether or not I’m part of those changes, I don’t know. But all I can control is these last two games. And you know, figure it out from there, whatever the team thinks is the best thing to do moving forward. We’ll see how that plays out.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll called Wagner “the standard” by which current middle linebackers are judged.
“To find a guy with this kind of consistency, character, and the constitution of how he does his work, how he handles his business, everybody wants that guy,” Carroll said. “If nothing else, he does make a statement for the model of what you are looking for. He really is a tremendous team player in all ways.”
The Lions could be without quarterback Jared Goff again Sunday.
He missed last weekend’s 20-16 loss at Atlanta while on the COVID-19 list, from which he was activated Monday.
But Goff has also been dealing with a knee injury suffered Week 15 in a 30-12 victory against Arizona.
“Yeah, it’s still there,” Goff said of the knee ailment after sitting out practice Wednesday. “We’re still dealing with it. It’s day-by-day, but it’s still there. I still feel it and working through it.”
If Goff can’t go, backup Tim Boyle would get a second consecutive start. Boyle was 24-of-34 passing for 187 yards and a touchdown against Atlanta but threw a game-ending interception from the Falcons’ 9-yard line.
The Lions expect to have leading rusher D’Andre Swift back Sunday after he’s missed the past month with a shoulder injury.
“We feel like he’s going to be ready this week, and he’s been wanting to go,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “So I think we feel like we’re in a place where, let’s go and cut him loose and let’s let him continue to grow and get better. That way we go into next year, he’s that much better for it.”
Goff and fullback Jason Cabinda (knee) have missed practice time this week.
The Seahawks have worked out without wide receiver DK Metcalf (foot), guard Gabe Jackson (knee), offensive tackle Brandon Shell (shoulder) and defensive tackles Poona Ford (concussion) and Al Woods (shoulder).
–Field Level Media
