Former Pro Bowler Cliff Avril is decked out in vintage Seattle Seahawks gear smiling while discussing his former Super Bowl teammates. Avril is not one of the former Seahawks players who has publicly criticized Russell Wilson during the rocky start to his tenure with the Denver Broncos.
During an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports, Avril discussed the Seattle’s Super Bowl runs, the brotherhood of former Seahawks players, his partnership with Courtyard by Marriott and the missed opportunities of not winning multiple titles.
Avril concedes there was “some beef here and there” during the Legion of Boom era. The former pass rusher believes some of the team’s ex-players had unrealistic expectations about how Wilson was treated in Seattle.
“For me, I never had an issue with Russell Wilson or the offense,” Avril remarks during an October 26, 2023 exclusive interview. “I give this example all the time: since I started playing football in high school, I might have been the best player on my team. I don’t think I was, but I might have been the best player on the team.
“In high school and college and even when I played in Detroit, the quarterbacks always got treated differently from everybody on the team. They might not have been the best player on the team, but they always got treated differently,” Avril continues.
“… So for guys to have expected anything different, I think is unfair to Russ because he just plays the position that that allows. But overall, I never had any issues with any of the guys.
“I do think there might have been some beef here and there. But honestly, what family doesn’t have that type of stuff? And what we had, we were definitely a brotherhood. We were definitely family members, and we had clashes from time to time.”
Seahawks News: Cliff Avril Predicts Seattle Could Have Won 3 Super Bowls During Legion of Boom Era
The Seahawks as three-time Super Bowl champions? This is what Avril believes was lost by the team’s goal line interception to drop the 2015 Super Bowl. Avril is adamant that Seattle would have gone on to win a third Super Bowl if the Seahawks did not sustain a heart-breaking loss to the Patriots.
“There’s no doubt in my mind [the Seahawks would have won three Super Bowls]. I think guys lost a little bit of confidence in the message once when we lost,” Avril explains. “…That team was on fire. You got to think about it. I was one of the oldest guys on the defense, and I was only at year seven, at that time, for the second Super Bowl. Bobby was at year three, year four. So everybody was still young.
“Everybody was still ascending in the right direction, and I think losing that Super Bowl kind of hurt us in the sense of believing in the entire message and the philosophy. But overall though, if we win that Super Bowl, no doubt in my mind that we win another one, and we probably have one of the best teams ever.”
Cliff Avril Watches Nearly Every Seahawks Game With Former Seattle Players Like Kam Chancellor
The first sack in the first half of Cliff Avril’s first game as a Seattle Seahawk. Dude was slaying from the start.
Thank you, Cliff.
Avril last played in the NFL for the Seahawks in 2017 as the pass rusher sustained a career-ending neck injury, playing in just four games during his final season. The news came after Avril made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2016.
Avril may no longer be terrifying opposing quarterbacks, but the longtime defender remains connected with his former Legion of Boom teammates. The ex-NFL star reveals he watches nearly every Seahawks games with other former players, including Kam Chancellor.
“A lot of us still live out here [Seattle]. A lot of us go to the games together. I probably watch, in the last five years, 90% of the games with Kam Chancellor,” Avril details.
“… It’s Kam. Sometimes Walter Jones is with us. Obviously, he wasn’t a part of our era, but he’s a Hall of Famer so you would definitely want to hang out with him. Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin, it depends on who comes to the game. K.J. Wright is there pretty often as well.
“It is different, because we know the schemes. We understand the techniques. If there’s a big play, I look back at Kam like, ‘Hey, what coverage was that?’ or ‘Hey man, was the d-line supposed to be there?’ …It’s so funny because we all look at the game completely different [based on the position we played].”
Fans Can Stay in the Ultimate Seattle Seahawks Fan Room at the Courtyard by Marriott
Courtyard by MarriottA look at the Ultimate Seattle Seahawks Fan Room in a Courtyard by Marriott.
The former NFL star is also passionate about travel and is partnering with Courtyard by Marriott and Marriott Bonvoy to present fans with some amazing opportunities. One of these includes the “Ultimate Seattle Seahawks Fan Room” located in a Seattle Courtyard by Marriott which can be reserved by fans.
The amazing hotel room is decked out with Seahawks items and offers the perfect experience for your gameday weekend. Avril spoke with me while hanging out in the special Seahawks room. Fans who stay or visit one of these Ultimate NFL Fan Rooms can be entered to win “The Ultimate Upgrade,” a night in the Courtyard Super Bowl Sleepover Suite inside the Las Vegas stadium.
“You can go to Courtyard.com to be able to get this once in a lifetime chance to get this room if you are in town for a game,” Avril details.
“…It’s a pretty cool room. And again, if you are the ultimate Seahawks fan, I think it’s dope. Because you got memorabilia. You got the green and blue lights. You got [Seahawks] logos everywhere. Pretty cool spot to be able to spend the night in.”
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Ex-Seahawks Pro Bowl Star Clears the Air on Russell Wilson: Exclusive