John Clayton: Seahawks could control NFC West in coming years
Jul 12, 2016, 4:55 PM
Seattle Seahawks fullback Will Tukuafu (46) scores a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals middle linebacker Kevin Minter (51) defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Cardinals went 34-14 over the last three seasons and reached the NFC Championship game last year, but their control of the NFC West might not last for long.
In ESPN senior analyst John Clayton’s latest projections of the next three years, the Seahawks’ young, team-controlled roster might allow them to take back divisional supremacy from Arizona in the not-so-distant future.
If the Cardinals don’t go to the Super Bowl this year, their championship window could close. Quarterback Carson Palmer will be 37 later this year. Wide receivers Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald, along with pass-rusher Chandler Jones, could become free agents. The Seahawks have most of their top players locked up and could control the NFC West. Palmer’s health is the key.
The Cardinals may have to stretch their wallet wide open to bring back Jones and Floyd, whose cap hits will combine for more than $15 million this season. Floyd was recently called the Cardinals’ player with the ‘most to prove,’ entering the final year of his contract and showing mixed results so far in his young career. If he has a big year, he could command a large contract next summer.
The aging Palmer and Fitzgerald are both question marks down the road as well, as Clayton noted. Palmer has faced knee and finger injuries over the past two seasons, and is entering his 13th NFL season. Fitzgerald is coming off a monster year with 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns, but is nearing 33 years old and is on the final year of his deal with the Cardinals.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have a 27-year-old Russell Wilson signed through the 2019 season. In his four seasons in the NFL, Wilson has a career 64.7 pass completion percentage and 101.8 quarterback rating. Their 28-year-old star cornerback, Richard Sherman, is signed through 2018 and leads the NFL in interceptions since 2011 with 24. Safety Kam Chancellor is just 28 but has six years of NFL experience and a contract through 2017.
The Seahawks went 10-6 for second place in the NFC West last season, but went to the Super Bowl the year before that and won the Lombardi Trophy in 2013. The Cardinals have a seemingly-solidified roster going into the upcoming season, but beyond 2016, their fate remains uncertain.
