It's a dilemma that baseball and football fans have had to deal with the last month.

Is it time to jump of the Seattle Mariner playoff bandwagon for 2015?

Or even more important, just how big of a deal is it that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is playing the final year of his rookie contract, with no talks between he and the team trying to reach an extension anytime soon.

FOR AS bad as the Mariners have played this season - and there's been some bad moments - they entered Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels just eight games out of first place in the American League West with a 40-46 record.

The bullpen hasn't been as good as it was last year with most of the same guys holding down the same spots as last year, when the team came up one game short of the postseason.

Nelson Cruz, the team's biggest free agent signing in the offseason was selected to Tuesday's All-Star Game, and Felix Hernandez has a chance to start for the American League with 11 wins thus far.

Other than Cruz and Hernandez, the team hasn't lived up to expectations.

Robinson Cano hasn't been the same guy that played for the New York Yankees for nine years before arriving in Seattle after the 2013 season, and Fernando Rodney has struggled to close out games after leading the American League in saves in 2014.

Hitting was so much of a problem that the Mariners called on Edgar Martinez to help pull the team out of its funk at the plate.

Early on, it didn't seem as if the Mariner Hall of Famer was going to be able to pull them out of it.

Suddenly this week, the team is hitting - collecting a season-high 19 hits in Thursday's 7-2 win against the Angels - and playing better baseball.

Whether that it is a result of Martinez imparting his wisdom, or something else happening remains to be seen.

Fans might want to hang with the team a little bit longer this year anyway.

This season doesn't seem quite over yet.

WHEN QUARTERBACKS Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins) and Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) signed long-term deals with their football teams earlier this offseason, the focus of many turned to Wilson and Indianapolis' Andrew Luck, and what kind of contracts they'd sign.

Luck - who was selected No. 1 overall in the 2013 draft - will get his money, and he's worth every penny to the Colts. Who knows where they'd be without him right now.

After Peyton Manning was injured, the Colts stumbled and ended up drafting Luck and letting Manning go to Denver.

Wilson meanwhile, was picked in the third round, wasn't even expected to start and was told he was too small by experts.

All that Wilson has done in his time in Seattle has put the Seahawks in the playoffs all three seasons, advance to two Super Bowls - winning one - and coming 1 yard short of a second against New England in February.

Some reports have said that Wilson wants to be the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, making somewhere near $20 million a year.

Wilson - during interviews - has said he trusts the process and that he wants to be in Seattle for his entire career.

For a guy that has organized off-season activities in California to get better with his receivers, a team-bonding trip to Hawaii to relax and get better as a group, does that seem like the kind of guy that doesn't want to be with his teammates?

Something will get done in Seattle for Wilson, whether that's before training camp or next season.

In both cases, trust the process.

It has seemed to work out pretty well in the past.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.