Notes from the Nest: Seahawks begin journey into a new era

Seattle is back! Well, sort of. It is the beginning of training camp for a Seahawks squad that is in transition but hoping to surprise some people.

“The bird who dares to fall is the bird who learns to fly.”

I am absolutely stoked to begin this new series with all you football fans. It feels like forever since the Seahawks last played, and only a little bit has changed since. With Notes from the Nest, I’ll be sharing my thoughts from the week that was, every week from the beginning of training camp, to the day after the Super Bowl.

I hope you enjoy this series as much as I hate hearing, “Broncos Country…Lets Ride”

Seahawks notes: Training camp has already has many changes

• Good to be back
  • It sure is great to have football back and to see this new-look Seattle Seahawks team begin their journey.
  • While most of the football writers and experts think Seattle will be terrible, I’m fascinated to see the development of the young players that will help lead Seattle into the next era of great Seahawks football.
  • If they suck, Seattle will have great capital in a great draft in 2023. If they’re good, then we will have a fantastic fall, and rub in all those “experts” faces.

• Geno is the guy early
  • It’s only been the first week, but Geno’s experience with the offense has given him a strong early lead in the QB competition. Through the first week, Smith took all but a few of the first team reps.
  • I fully expect Smith to be given a long leash to win the job. He’s been in the house for a few years and he showed real flashes last year. I would expect to see Geno facing Russell Wilson in week 1.

• DK got paid
  • Despite the potential draft haul, the Seahawks could have received by trading Metcalf, they made the right decision and locked up their blue-chip wide receiver on a massive 3-year extension worth $72 million, with $58.2 million in guarantees.
  • Considering all the extensions we saw this off-season for the wide receivers, I was pretty nervous about the potential deal. I love this deal, it’s a clear win-win for both sides. DK got the bag and gets likely to see another big contract at his age-27 season, a rarity for NFL players. The Seahawks locked up their most dominant player, won’t be hampered financially by this deal, and now have a window to pair a potential franchise QB with a prime DK Metcalf.

• Jamal Adams hurt
  • Now that we got past the joys of football returning and star players staying in Seattle, let’s talk about depressing stuff.
  • Jamal Adams return to the field after missing the second half of last season went about as well as this trade has gone for Seattle.
  • Adams apparently broke his middle finger on his left hand after getting it caught in a helmet. He was able to return to practice, but he will likely need to wear a cast during games this season.
  • There’s no way around it, this trade has been an unmitigated disaster. The compensation was ridiculous, the play has been below average, and now his body is breaking down each season. If Seattle can’t create a quick rebuild over these next three seasons, Adams and his contract may be the reason why.

• Chris Carson retires
  • In an unfortunate decision that most saw coming, Seahawks running back Chris Carson was released with a failed physical designation. Due to his neck injuries, Carson will retire from football.
  • This release was really cool by the Seahawks. Release by failed physical designation allows Carson to be in a better financial and health care situation.
  • This is a very sad end to a brief, but a fun career. Carson was the perfect follow-up to Beast Mode, using violent and aggressive running to multiple 1,000-yard seasons and 24 career touchdowns.
  • Here’s to Chris Carson, very few running backs come to mind who ran as hard as he did. Gonna miss him.
• JR Sweezy retires
  • The mauler is calling it quits. The former college defensive lineman turned offensive guard was a starter on both of the Seahawks Super Bowl squads.
  • People easily forget how good those lines were. Sweezy turned his play into a massive deal with Tampa Bay, and both sides never quite found the same success they had with each other.
  • Here’s to JR Sweezy, one of the main men to pave the way for Wilson and Lynch to be stars, and a champion.

• KJ Wright retires
  • If you weren’t sad enough, we also saw the end of an era with KJ Wright signing a one-day contract to retire as a Seahawk.
  • This actually caught me off guard. I heard some stuff earlier in the off-season about KJ possibly signing to play one more season, but it wasn’t meant to be.
  • The most underrated player of the Legion of Boom era, Wright was the perfect sidekick to Bobby Wagner and their dominant LB tandem.
  • This also officially marks the end of the Super Bowl Seahawks. Every player has moved on…I feel sad and old.
  • At some point, difficult decisions will have to be made about who from the 2012-2020 era will get to be in the Ring of Honor, but not today. I believe he deserves to be up there.
  • To KJ Wright, one of the best to ever do it in Seattle, and a champion.

Once again, it is so good to have football back! Have a great week and enjoy the second week of training camp.