Arthur: Seattle Seahawks have failed Russell Wilson if they don't add a superstar this offseason

Quarterback Russell Wilson has given the Seattle Seahawks the signs, subtly and also not so subtly.

He’s done with the Pro Bowls. Not with getting invited to them, but actually playing in them. Because playing in them means he’s not competing for a ring. And Wilson wants to get back to that Super Bowl stage. He wants a legitimate chance to get there. He’s in the prime years of his career, after all.

In an interview at the Pro Bowl in Orlando this past January, Wilson spoke as forcefully as you’ll ever hear him publicly about the Seahawks’ need to get better from a talent standpoint. He placed the ball in general manager John Schneider’s court.

“I think we need a couple more (players),” Wilson told ESPN. “Jadeveon (Clowney) is a big-time guy that we would love to get back on our football team … Hopefully we can get a few other players there on the defense. Then also on offense, we have a great offense, but I think we can always add more pieces.”

“Free agency is very, very key to getting those superstars on your team and try to get great players that can fill the space.”

Wilson asked for superstars.

The Seahawks, at least so far, have failed him.

Seattle’s player acquisition this offseason has been defined by some good, not great, players and for-budget offensive linemen. The team addressed the pass rush with a flash from the past — Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa — and two rookie defensive ends. It addressed the cornerback need by trading for 27-year-old Quinton Dunbar — a long, athletic corner who has Pro-Bowl potential but needs to prove he can stay healthy. Aging veterans Greg Olsen and Carlos Hyde shore up depth concerns at tight end and running back, respectively. None of the eight offensive linemen the Seahawks signed or re-signed are getting more than $4.5 million per year. It’s not even clear if Seattle will actually be better up front for Wilson.

The moves don’t stand out. They don’t pop. They’ve addressed needs, but are still lacking. The Seahawks have yet to make a move for a "superstar," or a player NFL observers would consider an elite talent —  the kind of player it feels like the Seahawks will inevitably need to bring it over the hump.

Until that happens, it feels like the Seahawks are maybe a slightly better version of last year’s team, one that could maybe win a game or two in the playoffs, but are destined to get sent home in time for Wilson to make another appearance at the Pro Bowl.

We know how the Seahawks operate: They wait for the later stages of free agency, after the big spenders have come and gone to take the tier-one talent. Seattle prefers bargains and low-cost veterans to fill holes and bolster depth. The team has to be especially salary-cap conscious for the immediate future, too, with Wilson on the books for the remainder of his prime with the richest average-per-year deal in NFL history.

But creating cap space isn’t rocket science for a general manager like John Schneider. And Seattle doesn’t even need to drastically change it’s philosophy. It just seems to be operating like the difference between the Seahawks now and a Super-Bowl team are small; like it just needed to add depth here and there this offseason  Coach Pete Carroll suggested such after the season-ending loss at the Packers in the divisional round in January, comparing the ‘19 team to the 2012 squad — the predecessor to the franchise’s only Super Bowl-winning team.

The Seahawks need a defined Pro-Bowl talent, particularly on defense, to supplement the flurry of signings they’ve already made. It’d be a power move.

There are examples throughout NFL history of championship teams needing to make that one big addition or two to get to the promise land. Last season, it was the Chiefs’ offensive juggernaut, led by the prodigal Patrick Mahomes, needing an elite edge rusher in former Seahawk Frank Clark to elevate the defense to help the team win a Super Bowl. Kansas City gave up a first and second-round pick to Seattle for Clark last spring, and paid him more than $20 million per season in a multi-year deal.

For the Seahawks in that 2012 offseason, it was signing defensive linemen Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, both of whom were coming off nine-sack seasons. They brought out the dominance in the trenches that helped the Legion of Boom secondary flourish in the back end.

Seattle this year needs another star. Maybe it’s going back to the negotiating table with Clowney and aggressively trying to find an agreement as he sits in limbo due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Or it’s turning immediately to free-agent defensive end Everson Griffen if Clowney still wants to wait. Or it’s calling the Jets about Pro-Bowl safety Jamal Adams, who’s in a contract impasse with the franchise. Or hitting up the Chiefs about Pro-Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones, who reportedly hasn’t had traction on an extension. It’s doing something to get more star power.

Other NFC contenders have done it. The Bucs added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The Saints, who went 13-3 last season, added wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and safety Malcolm Jenkins to bolster their Super Bowl hopes as Drew Brees nears his NFL end. The 49ers locked in defensive tackle Arik Armstead on a rich multi-year deal, and gave up DeForest Buckner to the Colts for the rights to select another potential immediate star at defensive tackle: No. 14 pick Javon Kinlaw. The Cardinals acquired superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, establishing themselves a dark-horse contender in the NFC West in the process.

While some of the NFC’s top teams have bolstered their rosters with star talent, it feels like the Seahawks have made just incremental improvement by shoring up depth. That needs to change.

Seattle isn’t on the heels of another Super Bowl run. It needs to shrink the gap back to legitimate contention first, even if the defense can't be what it was in the middle of the last decade and even if the offense has to continue leading the charge. Give Wilson all the help he needs.

Get Wilson a superstar.

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Ben Arthur covers sports for SeattlePI. He can be reached by email at benjaminarthur@seattlepi.com. Follow him on twitter at @benyarthur.