Russell Wilson Reveals Seahawks Talked Quarterback Trade

Russell Wilson broke his nearly four months of silence since making his now-famous media tour in February which ended with his agent Mark Rodgers floating a list of four potential trade destinations. The Seahawks and Wilson have now both shared their side of the much-discussed offseason drama but there is still plenty of questions that were left unanswered.

Wilson followed up on what Pete Carroll said months ago noting that the tension was blown out of proportion by the media. We are still waiting for a good answer as to why Rodgers released the teams that Wilson would waive his no-trade clause to potentially book his ticket out of Seattle. Wilson may have offered a hint as to where things went wrong as the quarterback seems to believe the Seahawks were talking trades with other teams. As Wilson put it, “there were calls going around” but declined to get into the specifics of what the quarterback termed “family matters.”

“I think, first of all, sometimes things are family matters, not everybody else is a part of it at the time because the reality is there were calls going around that I could have possibly been traded,” Wilson explained in a June 10th press conference. “I think the reality is that we had to have a lot of conversations. We had some great ones along the way. It made our relationship stronger, really. Me and Pete [Carroll] and John [Schneider] and all that.”

Wilson refuted the idea that he requested a trade, but seems to indicate the Seahawks were talking about a deal behind the scenes. It remains to be seen just how serious these “calls going around” were between the Seahawks and other teams.

Winning Cures Everything, Says Wilson

Perhaps catching himself revealing too much, Wilson went back on message emphasizing that winning will be the solution to the rift that was made public this offseason. Wilson’s most recent comments seem to pave the way for all the uncertainty to pop back up next offseason if the Seahawks have another early postseason exit.

“I think more than anything else, the reality of sports as you know is that a lot of things can happen,” Wilson continued. “That’s just the reality, right? There’s been a lot of great players that have been traded before. There’s been a lot of great moments that have happened. There’s been some tough moments along the way, this and that. I think for me, the reality is the greatest thing of all is that I’m here. I’m ready to roll. I’m more focused than ever. Like I said earlier, I feel faster, I feel stronger, I feel smarter, I feel better than ever. The reality is, I feel more dangerous than ever. I feel like I can do everything we want to do, and I’m excited about that opportunity. You know what heals things? Winning.”

Schneider on Wilson Trade Rumors: ‘No, I Never Actively Negotiated with Anybody’

Seahawks general manager John Schneider denied he “actively negotiated” with opposing teams calling about Wilson’s potential availability. The Seahawks quarterback’s comments seem to indicate he believes there was some truth to the trade rumors that have circulated in recent years.

“There was a number of teams that called after that media blitz that happened, but, no, I never actively negotiated with anybody, with any team,” Schneider explained during the team’s pre-draft press conference in April, per Seahawks.com. “Did people call? Absolutely. But I’m not going to get into specific teams. There was never ever a conversation.”

All this leads to a lot of confusion over whether Wilson’s frustration led to trade talks, or if the Seahawks were entertaining offers from franchises which then led to the quarterback’s agent hitting the nuclear button with his list of teams. As Wilson noted, these are all “family matters” which the full extent of the discussions may never be made public. What is clear is there was a genuine rift between Wilson and the Seahawks putting even more pressure on the team to make another Super Bowl run this season.