Seattle Seahawks would finally take a step back. This was going to be the rebuild season Germaine Pratt Jersey , even if no one with the Seahawks ever wanted to use that word.Sherman will see his former team up close Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers face the Seahawks. He will find a Seattle team that’s not backsliding. Instead, Seattle (6-5) has won two straight and has a direct path to an NFC playoff berth in a season no one really expected the Seahawks to be in the conversation at the beginning of December.The players who stepped in for the likes of Sherman and other veterans who departed after last season have brought a youthful exuberance. That has created a fun environment in Seattle only amplified by the Seahawks’ success.“This game is too crazy to not have fun and it’s definitely a point of emphasis for me, just for the guys that came in and were stepping into a lot of key positions, to not worry about who they were replacing or who you were coming behind, ” Seattle star linebacker Bobby Wagner said, “but just to have the fun you’ve been having all your life and everything else will figure out itself.”Fun has come around sparingly in San Francisco this season. The 49ers (2-9) were supposed to be in Seattle’s position of competing for a playoff spot. But injuries — namely the loss of QB Jimmy Garoppolo — derailed those hopes early in the season. They looked great in thumping Oakland on Nov. 1, only to turn around and drop their next two against the weak Giants and Buccaneers.“I do think we’re going through this for a reason. I do think it can make us better,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “A lot of guys have gotten to play a lot that normally wouldn’t be able to play, and I hope that helps us find some things out about people this year and helps us build this team better next year.”Welcoming Sherman back to Seattle starts a stretch of four of the final five games at home for the Seahawks. They’ve been a notoriously good team in the final month of the calendar, and getting to play at home is adding to the belief this season could end in an unexpected playoff berth.Here’s what else to watch as the Seahawks and 49ers meet for the first of two games in 14 days:RISING RUSSELLSeattle QB Russell Wilson is coming off his best performance of the season against Carolina. With Seattle’s running game shut down by the Panthers, Wilson threw for a season-high 339 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 30-27 win, showing that Seattle’s offense can function just fine when its ground game is stymied. The Seahawks have been the best run team in the NFL for most of the season, but Wilson’s performance was a reminder he can be an elite passer when needed.MAN IN THE MIDDLEThe 49ers handed Fred Warner big responsibility when they inserted him at middle linebacker and made him the defensive play caller as a rookie. Warner’s role will only get bigger after San Francisco released second-year linebacker Reuben Foster following his arrest last weekend on domestic violence charges. Warner has been one of the bright spots with his ability to get the defense in the right calls and thrive against both the run and pass. He will have a tough test this week against Wilson.“He’s a mobile quarterback http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-a … ley-jersey , so being able to escape the pocket and make big plays with his legs, that’s what he’s known for,” Warner said. “We have to be aware of that.”TURNOVER TIMESeattle got its first turnover in three-plus games last week when Bradley McDougald made an acrobatic end zone interception of Cam Newton. The Seahawks also forced five fumbles against the Panthers, but failed to recover any. It was a long drought that saw Seattle drop to 11th in the league with 17 turnovers forced.That’s nothing compared to the 49ers. San Francisco is last in the NFL with just five takeaways. The Niners have just two interceptions and haven’t forced a turnover in the last three games.HOUSE OF HORRORSPlaying in Seattle has led only to disappointment for the 49ers in recent years. The Niners have lost their last seven trips, including the 2013 NFC title game, getting outscored by more than 15 points per game. San Francisco’s last win here came in 2011 with Alex Smith at quarterback. Since then, Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert and Brian Hoyer have combined for 10 turnovers, 16 sacks, three TD passes and a 61.4 passer rating in Seattle.First-year QB Nick Mullens will try to reverse that trend and bounce back from two rough starts following a sterling debut. Mullens has thrown four interceptions the past two games in losses to the Giants and Tampa Bay and faces a much tougher defense this week. RENTON, Wash. (AP) — With one 15-second video clip posted on social media shortly after midnight and five simple words, Russell Wilson put to rest any questions about his long-term future.No more speculation about Wilson wanting to play elsewhere. No more rumblings of a bigger market for Wilson to call home.“Seattle, we have a deal Renell Wren Jersey ,” Wilson said in the video early Tuesday morning.They were words Seahawks fans had waited to hear since Seattle’s playoff loss to Dallas in January, though it had seemed increasingly unlikely as the days ticked away toward Wilson’s deadline to have a deal done by the end of the first day of offseason workouts.But they did strike a deal, one that makes Wilson the highest-paid player in the NFL and gives Seattle the chance to build a competitive roster around its star quarterback.“Russell’s goal and his hope was that he would continue his career with the Seahawks and continue to bring championships to this town,” Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers said. “He believes there is still unfinished business and he is looking forward to pursuing that without having to worry about contracts and his future.”Wilson’s $140 million, four-year extension puts him at the top of the NFL salary food chain for now. He has the highest yearly average salary at $35 million per season. He has the highest signing bonus ($65 million) and guaranteed money ($107 million) in league history.And for good measure, Wilson also got Seattle to agree to a no-trade clause.“Russ has been a huge factor in everything that has happened, and this allows us to stay on track with continuing to push to find that consistency,” coach Pete Carroll said in a statement from the team announcing the deal. “Russell is a unique player, a unique competitor. It’s rare the way he’s just so consistently connected to competing and battling. To keep that factor as part of the program is just a real positive for our fans and for everyone. We’re all fortunate to see this happen.”The 30-year-old Wilson had set a midnight Monday deadline for a new deal with Seattle. He wanted certainty about his contract before the team got into its offseason workout program, which began Monday. Wilson showed up for the first day and by the end of the night was sending social media into a frenzy after posting the video ofhim and his wife, Ciara, announcing the agreement.Wilson’s annual average tops Aaron Rodgers‘ average annual salary of $33.5 million as part of the $134 million extension he signed last year with the Green Bay Packers. Wilson’s previous $87.6 million, four-year deal was signed at the beginning of training camp in 2015 and was set to expire after next season.Wilson was the second-highest paid player in football behind Rodgers when his deal was signed in 2015 http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-a … dan-jersey , but he had fallen to 12th among NFL QBs, according to Overthecap.com.Carroll said Jody Allen, the chair of the Seahawks following the death of her brother, Paul Allen, last fall, was instrumental in getting the deal finished.“She was involved, and her support really allowed the guys to function at the level where they were able to get this done,” Carroll said.Seattle had leverage knowing it had at least three more seasons with Wilson. Even if he played out 2019 under his current deal, Seattle could have used the franchise tag if needed to keep him under contract through 2020 and 2021 at reasonable prices by QB standards.But Seattle showed last year that it’s a team on the rise again after missing the playoffs in 2017. The window that first opened when Wilson arrived could be open again after Seattle went 10-6 and reached the playoffs last season in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.The extension allows Seattle to budget for the future and build a contender around the former third-round pick. All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner is in line for an extension with his deal expiring after the upcoming season. Pass rush standout Frank Clark is set to play on the franchise tag. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed is likely to get paid as well.Wilson, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, is coming off arguably his best season.The 5-foot-11 Wilson threw for a career-high 35 touchdowns and matched his career low with seven interceptions. He attempted only 427 passes — his lowest total since his second season, when Seattle won the Super Bowl — but he had a career best 110.9 passer rating. He also ran only 67 times, a career low T.J. Hockenson Jersey , as the improved running game and offensive line play allowed Wilson to stay in the pocket more often.Wilson has led the Seahawks to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons, the only miss coming in 2017. He won a Super Bowl in his second season and got back to the championship game a year later before making the mistake that will hover over him until he wins another title, throwing a goal line interception in the final minute when the Seahawks had a chance to take the lead on New England.He’s also been extremely durable, never missing a game while playing through significant knee, ankle and shoulder injuries.And with his new contract done, Wilson has the chance to play his entire career with one team.“When I first got drafted in 2012, I wanted to be here forever. This helps solidify that. I’ve got many more years to go and a lot more winning to do — we’ve got more Super Bowls to win. I’m excited about that,” Wilson said.