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Rodgers has forgotten about his quarrel with the Packers. Wilson's relationship with the Seahawks, on the other hand, is heating up.

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Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson

It might seem that Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson have and can have nothing in common. All the more surprising is that people so different in character turn out to be very similar professionally.

Rodgers and Wilson won the Super Bowl, but did so back in the last decade. In both cases, it seemed like the first title of many to come. Rodgers had never made it to the finals since that win, and Wilson hadn't even come close to a final game since his interception of a pass in the 2015 Super Bowl.

Since then, the years have gone by and the star quarterbacks have become increasingly unhappy with winless seasons. In the offseason, both finally announced it openly, prompting a mountain of discussion about their future fates.

Last Sunday, Rodgers and Wilson met on the field in a regular season game. Both quarterbacks returned to the game after being forced to "rest": Rodgers tested positive for coronavirus and was quarantined for a week, while Wilson missed three weeks due to a broken finger. Both quarterbacks looked uninspiring in the game, which the Packers won 17-0, a result that put Green Bay in first place in the NFC standings at 8-2, while the Seahawks' chances of making the playoffs dropped to 16 percent.

It's been 10 weeks into the regular season, but Wilson and Rodgers' future is still as shrouded in fog as it was before the season started. Perhaps even more questions have emerged.

In the offseason, everything indicated that the 2021 season would be Rodgers' last with the Packers. He hinted that he was in for a "last dance" (similar to the HBO series about Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls) and also gave a half-hour press conference in which he spoke frankly about his dissatisfaction with club policy and management. Insiders reported that Rodgers' relationship with general manager Brian Gutekanst was permanently damaged, and the quarterback himself did not rule out that he was about to retrain as a broadcaster.

Wilson's complaints were less like a desire to get a divorce, more like a desire to influence the development of the club. His plan worked, as it included both denying the exchange request on one side and making a list of teams to move to on the other. In February, Wilson said he was tired of getting hit -- the Seahawks traded for guard Gabe Jackson and extended his contract. Wilson insisted that his opinion be considered in selecting an offensive coordinator -- and Seattle took Rams assistant Shane Waldron, who was approved by the quarterback's personal coach, for the job.

Fortunately for Wilson, his plan worked. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, it didn't pay much dividends for the team. The season was going downhill for Seattle even before the injury to their starting point guard. The team's offense stagnated, and the work of its new offensive coordinator was criticized. Wilson coach Jake Heaps even claimed that the Seahawks' lackluster offense was the reason receiver Odell Beckham decided not to sign with the team.

Yes, these complaints are not coming from Wilson personally, but this man is from his inner circle. And it's hard to imagine Wilson waking up Monday in a good mood after suffering his first career shutout and a 13.0 quarterback rating.

If Rodgers' departure seemed more likely before the season, things have changed now. After the game against Bearcats in Week 6, Rodgers disagreed that it was his last visit to Soldier Field. He also opined that the Packers' current roster is similar to the 2010 team that won the Super Bowl. Rodgers, it turns out, is a simple man - if the team wins and contends for a championship, he's fine with it. Plus, Green Bay management went to his head and traded receiver Randall Cobb at Rodgers' personal request.

Things are different at Seattle, though it's hard to blame management alone. The team has indulged Wilson in many ways over the past two seasons. This has particularly affected the reorientation of the offense toward the pass - the team has become 5th in the league in frequency of pass shenanigans on early downs. That approach worked for two months, until opponents adjusted to the Seahawks' new philosophy and turned Wilson from an MVP contender into a middle infielder.

What conclusion did Pete Carroll draw? The team lacks carry, of course! Waldron was expected to put a fresh offense in Seattle that would give Wilson all the tools he needed to play great. His appointment seemed to be a compromise between Carroll and Wilson -- motions before shenanigans and high tempo play for the quarterback, zone takeout for the head coach. Everyone is happy, and fans were eagerly awaiting the start of the season.

Two months later, Waldron's offense looks more like that of the first offensive coordinator under Wilson, Darrell Bevell. That's not so surprising, since the rookie coordinator has had to adapt to the characteristics of his point guard's game.

One of Wilson's key traits is that he doesn't throw to the center of the floor, especially at mid-range. Perhaps it's a matter of height. Or maybe Wilson isn't comfortable targeting players in tight coverage in a crowd of defenders. Either way, it's become an issue this season.

Here's a heat map of passes played by Wilson. On the left are all the routes played by Seattle's receivers, and on the right are where he throws the ball most often.

It's not news that Wilson avoids throwing to center field, so Waldron had to adjust to him. The problem is that the entire structure of the offense that Waldron preaches is based on playing through the center. These principles are what made Jared Goff look like a man and a decent pass rusher for the Rams, and Stafford plays at the level of an MVP contender. But in McVay's new version of the offense, that aspect has been lost -- Seattle ranks last in the league in pass rushers using at least one route oriented to the center of the field. Wilson has thrown only 28 passes, and nearly all of those mid-range passes have been to D.K. Metcalfe, who, because of his size, generally has a hard time executing such routes.

Wilson also affects the format of the team's takeout game. Sean McVay's offense, which Waldron is trying to replicate in the Seahawks, is built around specific principles that work much better if the quarterback gets the ball from the center hand-to-hand. But Wilson feels better off the sidelines, in a shotgun formation, so Waldron is once again caught between two evils. In the 2020 season, the Rams ranked 30th in the league in frequency of shotgun use. In five games with Wilson in 2021, the Seahawks were ranked 16th in the NFL in that metric and have already ordered more shotgun takeaways than Los Angeles did all of last year.

This trait was particularly unfortunate in the game against the Packers -- Wilson was physically unable to take the ball directly from center because of a finger injury, so the Seahawks used the pistol, a truncated version of the shotgun, to make plays that are designed to play from the short snap. That goes a long way toward explaining why Seattle was so early in the game.

gave up an away game, and Wilson threw 40 assists in his first game after injury.

The Seahawks didn't play in Green Bay what they called Waldron for. And resolving that situation can be difficult because Wilson is a terrible match for his principles. The coaching change helped Rodgers, who got a second wind after appointing Matt Lafleur to replace Mike McCarthy. But Rodgers' combination of skills didn't go against Lafleur's ideas, so they found common ground. But whether Wilson can seriously change to adjust to an unfamiliar offense is a big question. And is it even worth asking him to do so? After all, Wilson is the one with years of playing at the highest level, while Waldron is a freshman with no previous accomplishments. A new coordinator is easier to find than a quarterback of Wilson's caliber.

"The Packers went after Rodgers and it worked. "The Seahawks tried to do the same thing with Wilson, but got rather negative results. And we're in for a sequel to last offseason's hits this summer.

 

 

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