The Seahawks shocked the NFL this week when they reportedly agreed to trade quarterback Russell Wilson to the Broncos, contradicting their own repeated assurances that Wilson would stay in Seattle. In fact, divorce was almost inevitable, according to The Athletic. Detailing the star QB’s departure, the report said that Wilson and the Seahawks had gradually lost trust in each other in recent years, to the point where some of Wilson’s teammates believed the pro bowler was “out” during the 2021 season.
Frustrated by an increasingly different offensive philosophy and inspired by Tom Brady’s fueled Super Bowl move with the Buccaneers, Wilson asked his agent Mark Rogers to call Seahawks general manager John Schneider last offseason with a list of acceptable trade spots at the Seattle tournament. According to the report, they wanted to leave. It was essentially QB’s way of requesting a move without actually doing so, and Schneider, no longer agreeing with Wilson’s increasingly public hints of displeasure, “brushed (his agent) off in obscene language”. This led to Rogers listing Wilson’s preferred destinations for ESPN.
And then came the 2021 campaign. Amid a slight dip in Wilson’s performance, as well as his finger injury, “(some) teammates said they felt … Wilson checked out,” according to the report. Meanwhile, Wilson, who had long been very close to coach Pete Carroll, especially during the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl matches in 2013–14, grew increasingly frustrated with the staff’s penchant for running. By 2021, according to The Athletic, QB felt that Carroll was just telling him what he wanted to hear and that their relationship, although professional, had not improved.
“Without trust, both sides would not have been able to find a way to coexist behind the scenes,” the report says, “making their public comments (on commitment) meaningless.”
Now, Seattle is in search of its next QB, owning the Broncos’ 9th overall pick in the 2022 draft, as well as former Broncos second-round QB Drew Locke. Denver, meanwhile, is hoping to show up in a crowded AFC West with Wilson at center, giving the Broncos their most skilled signalman since Peyton Manning.