Russell Wilson confirms Seahawks tried to trade him before deal to Broncos

The upcoming "Monday Night Football" opener between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks held at Seattle's Lumen Field was always going to be an emotional experience for veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, who joined Denver this past March via a trade after he spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Seahawks. 

The matchup may have even more juice than first thought. 

Earlier this week, an ESPN report said that an anonymous member of the Seattle front office referred to Wilson as "a descending player" and also that the Seahawks seriously explored trading the signal-caller to the Cleveland Browns ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft. The nine-time Pro Bowl selection confirmed when speaking with reporters Thursday that Seattle shopped him to would-be buyers before this past offseason. 

"Definitely they tried to, a couple of times, tried to see what was out there,'' Wilson explained, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. "It's part of the business, being a professional and everything else ... I believe in my talents, of who I am, I feel I'm one of the best in the world.''

Wilson added during his comments that he'll "forever have love in my heart for Seattle" but also seemed to hit out at those who believe he's begun declining as a player. 

"I think every year you have to prove that (you're one of the best)...You want your career to be a reflection of being one of the best in the world, so I think the first 10 years has been a positive reflection, but there's more to do, a lot more to do," he said. 

Wilson missed time last fall with a finger injury that required him to have surgery. Per ESPN stats, he finished his last season with the Seahawks fifth among eligible quarterbacks with a 103.1 passer rating and 10th with a 60.6 total QBR recorded across 14 games.