Brady HendersonESPN
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that the team “has no intention” of replacing quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason.
But in his first comments to the media in general after the disappointing 7-10 season of the Seahawks, Carol stopped again to completely rule out the possibility.
“There’s talk for everyone at this time of year,” Carroll said when asked at the NFL Scout Factory for trade offers or inquiries about Wilson. “We are talking about everyone. And it’s common for us to talk to teams about all the players – especially the tent players – and that hasn’t changed. Every year we are here is the same. So it’s the same as it was.
“We don’t intend to do anything there, but the talks, [general manager John Schneider] you have to put them in place. He always had. But nothing concrete about that. “
Speaking to reporters off the podium, Carol said Schneider’s standard response to teams asking about Wilson was that the Seahawks were not buying their quarterbacks, according to The News Tribune.
During his 20-minute podium session, Carol said she was not surprised by all the speculation about Wilson’s future, “because last year was twice as much.”
Wilson publicly expressed disappointment with the organization last February, leading to weeks of tensions between the two countries and trade talks with the Chicago Bears.
“This is the world of quarterback right now,” Carol said Wednesday. “They are talking about all of them. You guys are trying to do your best to try to understand it. This is what you need to do. So there are a lot of people shooting, a lot of lines in the water right now, trying to guess and see what happens. “
After the season, Carol’s comments to FOX 13 in Seattle strongly hinted that the team would listen to commercial offers for Wilson.
Wilson, 33, had the worst season of his 10-year career in the NFL in 2021. He missed three games with an injured finger on his throwing arm and struggled with accuracy since returning from surgery. By the time he regained his usual form at the end of the season, the Seahawks were out of the playoffs.
Wilson, who has a trade-off clause, has repeatedly said he hopes to stay in Seattle. He has two years left and $ 51 million for the four-year extension of $ 140 million he signed in 2019.
Carol gave a controversial answer when asked about midfielder Bobby Wagner, who is another cornerstone of the franchise since he and Wilson were drafted together in 2012.
Wilson, an eight-time Pro Bowl pick, is scheduled to count $ 20.35 million in the last year of his three-year extension of $ 54 million.
“We expect to play with Bobby,” Carol said. “I love playing with Bobby. He was a great player, he had another great season. At this time of year, there are many boys who are in a position where we need to figure out where they all fit together. Bobby has been such a stable part of him and we wish we could play with him, so we will work for that. If we can do that, we will. “
Carol said the Seahawks also want to bring back the free security of Quandre Diggs, who is an unrestricted free agent. The Seahawks have the franchise label, but have only used it twice in 12 seasons under Carol and Schneider.
The deadline for applying the franchise label is March 8.
Diggs had five interceptions before suffering a fibula fracture and ankle sprain at the end of the regular season. His injuries prevented him from playing in the Pro Bowl after doing so for the second year in a row.
Carol said he had “no doubt” that Diggs would return to the training camp.
“That’s all he thinks about,” Carol said. “I think he’ll be back before that … We really want him back.”