The Seattle Seahawks have finally addressed the Russell Wilson saga after months of remaining quiet as their franchise quarterback went on a media tour to start the offseason. What started as Wilson voicing some frustrations quickly escalated after his agent Mark Rodgers floated a list of four teams (Bears, Raiders, Cowboys and Saints) that the quarterback would waive his no-trade clause to allow for a potential move.
This created months of trade rumors with very few making sense for the Seahawks given the $32 million cap hit. There is also the reality that Wilson is one of the top NFL quarterbacks and none of the teams on Wilson’s list could offer the Seahawks a viable quarterback in return.
During the team’s pre-draft press conference, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll noted he has been in regular conversations with Wilson and believes the team is in a good place with the quarterback. Seattle general manager John Schneider denied being in “active negotiations” with any team about Wilson during the offseason.
“There was a number of teams that called after that media blitz that happened, right, but no I never actively negotiated with anybody, with any team,” Schneider responded when asked about the recent Wilson trade rumors. “Now, did people call? Absolutely, but I’m not going to get into specific teams. There was never ever a conversation, you know, people think that trade talks happen, like hey, you just start negotiating right away. There’s a lot of calls that are very, very periphery calls unless you’re dealing with trading a seventh-round pick for a player that may be getting cut and that’s going to be on the wire and those happen very quickly. But yeah, there were no active negotiations going on.”
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The Seahawks Have Made Roster Moves That Have Wilson’s Approval
Even before the Seahawks’ recent comments, all indications were the team was working behind the scenes to patch things up with Wilson. The Seahawks traded for guard Gabe Jackson, signed ex-Rams tight end Gerald Everett and hired Shane Waldron from their NFC West rival to take over as offensive coordinator. All are moves that appeared to have Wilson’s seal of approval. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on March 24 that Wilson has had “positive correspondence” with Carroll.
“Russell Wilson has no immediate plans to expand his potential trade list of four teams, according to a source, and he’s remained firm on his stance that he wants to remain in Seattle — but on the right terms,” Fowler detailed. “…Maybe Chicago reverses course and Seattle moves on from Wilson for a franchise reset sparked by draft capital. But things seem to be trending in a good direction with Wilson, who has had positive correspondence with coach Pete Carroll. One source said Carroll is hearing Wilson’s frustrations.”
Carroll: ‘I Knew What the Truth Was, We Weren’t Trading Russell’
In addition to revealing he has been in regular talks with Wilson, Carroll made his first public comments about the trade rumors. Carroll added that the team plans on Wilson being in Seattle “for a good while.”
“Russ has been our quarterback for a good while, and we’ve got a long contract with him,” Carroll noted. “And when all of the conversation went about trades and all that, I knew what the truth was, we weren’t trading Russell. So, we plan on him being here for a good while. I don’t know how many years it is now, but we’re in great shape. A long future ahead of us is shared. Russ knows that, and I know that. We’re very clear about it. It’s why it was really obvious that we just had to sit back and let the media take its course with the topic. So, we did and so we’re in good shape and both very clear about that.”
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Seahawks Break Silence on Russell Wilson Trade Rumors