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RENTON, Wash. — The warning came from the unlikeliest of places, not from a talking head but from a Seattle Seahawks star in three simple words.
The tweet wasn't directed at anyone, he said. He was just pointing out a fact of life in a salary-cap sport. The Seahawks drafted many stars, now they want their first big contract and it'll be impossible to keep this entire fantastic group together.
"It was just a statement man, the truth to this football business," Wagner said. "Wasn't trying to say it to anybody in particular, just a fact of this game. When you have so many great players, it's hard to keep everybody. But we try our best."
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Wagner said he is happy to have security, as he should be. Quarterback Russell Wilson was happy after he signed an extension last week that made him the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL at a little less than $21 million a year.
Defensive lineman Michael Bennett isn't so thrilled, but he's here after considering a holdout for more money.
"Hopefully it'll get worked out," Bennett said, who said he reported because he wanted to come and get better as a player. "I'll play as hard as I can. It's not going to go away. This problem is not going to go away unless it's solved.
"I don't think about that now, but I know it's not going away until it's resolved. It's one of those things where I'm going to keep knocking on the door and keep knocking on the door until it's open."
I'd have asked strong safety Kam Chancellor how he feels, but he's not here. He's holding out for a better contract. His holdout has reached six days.
"They can't pay everybody, but they do pay people," Bennett said. "They pay certain people a lot of money and other guys feel like they should be paid just as much as those guys because everybody contributes to the Super Bowls and the championships."
Can't keep everyone. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll just hopes he can keep everyone happy as long as he can.
While the future will bring challenges, there's no question this season's Seahawks are capable of winning a Super Bowl right now.
"It's a challenge if you let it be, it can be a problem," Carroll said of so much contract talk affecting chemistry. "We work so much with our individual guys and we know them so well and we care for them so much that I think we find our ways to work through all the issues. I'm hoping we can do that. I'm counting on it."
There are no public signs of fracturing in the locker room. Bennett made it clear that he has no ill will towards Wagner or Wilson or anyone else who got paid, for example. Bennett and other players said they don't think various contract news affects chemistry at all.
"I don't think it becomes a distraction," Wagner said. "We're mature enough to understand there's a business side to this game, and a side of the game in which we have to prove ourselves. When we come out on this field, it's all about ball."
"It's just a part of it, we've all been through it," linebacker K.J. Wright said. "We let the individual player handle it. We block it out, whenever we step on the practice field it doesn't get brought up. We're focused."
Carroll pointed out that while a lot of talk has been about contracts, the Seahawks are having great practices with all the players working together. Then Carroll was asked a question about when Chancellor might return and Carroll admitted he hasn't heard from him in a couple days.
This is just the NFL's version of a dynasty, outside of New England anyway. Exactly three years ago nobody cared much about the Seahawks. There was some interest that they drafted Wilson in the third round and it seemed like he was winning the training camp battle to start as a rookie. Then the Seahawks exploded. They won a Super Bowl two seasons ago. They came excruciatingly close to winning another last season. They have had the deepest and best roster in the NFL. And now they suddenly are doing their best to keep it together. A key piece like cornerback Byron Maxwell was just too expensive to keep, at $63 million to the Philadelphia Eagles. Things change fast in the NFL.
It's not just the stars. What about a guy like Tony McDaniel, a defensive tackle who started 29 of 32 games the past two seasons but was cut last week? He was scheduled to make $2.5 million but had to be let go to make room for those big extensions that were signed.
"That's what people don't understand, people talk about Tony McDaniels like 'Oh, he's just another guy,' but think about, how does a Bobby Wagner make those tackles?" Bennett said. "These are the workers. It's like the clothing line. You see the people who own the clothing line, but you don't see the people who work and make the clothes. The middle man is always needed for success in this league."
The Seahawks have gone full steam ahead into what is going to be a difficult process, maybe realizing the championship window could close quicker than they hope. They traded for Saints tight end Jimmy Graham and his large contract this offseason. They're trying to tie up as much of their core as they can, like any other team. The difference is the Seahawks' core of great players is abnormally large. A player like Wagner would be a headliner just about anywhere else as one of the best middle linebackers in football, but when is the last time you thought about him among the Seahawks' many stars? Now he is making more than $10 million a year. The Seahawks have $107.4 million of their 2016 cap already committed to 12 players, according to Spotrac's figures. That's the complete opposite of how Seattle built a champion, with young, rising players on bargain deals.
The Seahawks can still win with a new formula, maybe for many years. But there has to be a new formula.
"The championship window never closes. As long as you have that mindset you'll be fine," Wagner said. "We have a great defense, and we're going to be around each other for a very, very long time. So why not? We have a very open mind."
Wagner is optimistic, but there will be key players who depart or are let go when the Seahawks run out of cap room, even if many core guys are retained.
"I do worry about that, because depth is what got us to where we were, and that's what made us win championships," Bennett said. "Everything has a shelf life and we understand that so we have to make the most of our opportunities while we're playing now."*
The opportunity for the Seahawks this season is pretty clear, and that's a third straight NFC title and second Super Bowl. This is still an unbelievably good roster from top to bottom. But they're finding out in a hurry, a price tag comes with that success.
Can't keep everyone
— Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz54) July 31, 2015
A day later, Pro Bowl linebacker Wagner signed a four-year, $43 million extension. — Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz54) July 31, 2015
The tweet wasn't directed at anyone, he said. He was just pointing out a fact of life in a salary-cap sport. The Seahawks drafted many stars, now they want their first big contract and it'll be impossible to keep this entire fantastic group together.
"It was just a statement man, the truth to this football business," Wagner said. "Wasn't trying to say it to anybody in particular, just a fact of this game. When you have so many great players, it's hard to keep everybody. But we try our best."
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league todayl]
Wagner said he is happy to have security, as he should be. Quarterback Russell Wilson was happy after he signed an extension last week that made him the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL at a little less than $21 million a year.
Defensive lineman Michael Bennett isn't so thrilled, but he's here after considering a holdout for more money.
"Hopefully it'll get worked out," Bennett said, who said he reported because he wanted to come and get better as a player. "I'll play as hard as I can. It's not going to go away. This problem is not going to go away unless it's solved.
"I don't think about that now, but I know it's not going away until it's resolved. It's one of those things where I'm going to keep knocking on the door and keep knocking on the door until it's open."
I'd have asked strong safety Kam Chancellor how he feels, but he's not here. He's holding out for a better contract. His holdout has reached six days.
"They can't pay everybody, but they do pay people," Bennett said. "They pay certain people a lot of money and other guys feel like they should be paid just as much as those guys because everybody contributes to the Super Bowls and the championships."
Can't keep everyone. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll just hopes he can keep everyone happy as long as he can.
While the future will bring challenges, there's no question this season's Seahawks are capable of winning a Super Bowl right now.
"It's a challenge if you let it be, it can be a problem," Carroll said of so much contract talk affecting chemistry. "We work so much with our individual guys and we know them so well and we care for them so much that I think we find our ways to work through all the issues. I'm hoping we can do that. I'm counting on it."
There are no public signs of fracturing in the locker room. Bennett made it clear that he has no ill will towards Wagner or Wilson or anyone else who got paid, for example. Bennett and other players said they don't think various contract news affects chemistry at all.
"I don't think it becomes a distraction," Wagner said. "We're mature enough to understand there's a business side to this game, and a side of the game in which we have to prove ourselves. When we come out on this field, it's all about ball."
"It's just a part of it, we've all been through it," linebacker K.J. Wright said. "We let the individual player handle it. We block it out, whenever we step on the practice field it doesn't get brought up. We're focused."
Carroll pointed out that while a lot of talk has been about contracts, the Seahawks are having great practices with all the players working together. Then Carroll was asked a question about when Chancellor might return and Carroll admitted he hasn't heard from him in a couple days.
It's not just the stars. What about a guy like Tony McDaniel, a defensive tackle who started 29 of 32 games the past two seasons but was cut last week? He was scheduled to make $2.5 million but had to be let go to make room for those big extensions that were signed.
"That's what people don't understand, people talk about Tony McDaniels like 'Oh, he's just another guy,' but think about, how does a Bobby Wagner make those tackles?" Bennett said. "These are the workers. It's like the clothing line. You see the people who own the clothing line, but you don't see the people who work and make the clothes. The middle man is always needed for success in this league."
The Seahawks have gone full steam ahead into what is going to be a difficult process, maybe realizing the championship window could close quicker than they hope. They traded for Saints tight end Jimmy Graham and his large contract this offseason. They're trying to tie up as much of their core as they can, like any other team. The difference is the Seahawks' core of great players is abnormally large. A player like Wagner would be a headliner just about anywhere else as one of the best middle linebackers in football, but when is the last time you thought about him among the Seahawks' many stars? Now he is making more than $10 million a year. The Seahawks have $107.4 million of their 2016 cap already committed to 12 players, according to Spotrac's figures. That's the complete opposite of how Seattle built a champion, with young, rising players on bargain deals.
The Seahawks can still win with a new formula, maybe for many years. But there has to be a new formula.
"The championship window never closes. As long as you have that mindset you'll be fine," Wagner said. "We have a great defense, and we're going to be around each other for a very, very long time. So why not? We have a very open mind."
Wagner is optimistic, but there will be key players who depart or are let go when the Seahawks run out of cap room, even if many core guys are retained.
"I do worry about that, because depth is what got us to where we were, and that's what made us win championships," Bennett said. "Everything has a shelf life and we understand that so we have to make the most of our opportunities while we're playing now."*
The opportunity for the Seahawks this season is pretty clear, and that's a third straight NFC title and second Super Bowl. This is still an unbelievably good roster from top to bottom. But they're finding out in a hurry, a price tag comes with that success.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab