The Seahawks’ foundation may well be stronger than it appeared a few months ago. Late in an offseason in which Russell Wilson was mentioned in trade rumors, the 10th-year quarterback appears comfortably in the fold with his team.
Although Wilson said the list of acceptable trade destinations — Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, New Orleans — his agent revealed was accurate, he added that he never requested a trade out of Seattle, via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. While identifying prospective trade partners can be considered in the trade-request realm, Wilson attempted to differentiate the two Thursday.
Wilson’s issues with Pete Carroll and the Seahawks’ offensive line came to light this offseason. But the 32-year-old passer said he and his head coach are in a good place and that he has engaged in offseason talks with GM John Schneider and team president Chuck Arnold following the trade rumblings, per Condotta. Wilson attributed his winter comments about the offensive line to “frustration” and noted Thursday that he bears some of the blame for the protection issues, Condotta tweets.
Continuing to diffuse the situation, Wilson said he would like to stay in the Pacific Northwest for the remainder of his career, Condotta notes. Wilson is under contract through 2023.
The team gave Wilson input into its offensive coordinator search, which ended with Rams assistant Shane Waldron coming in to replace Brian Schottenheimer, and traded for seven-year Raiders starting guard Gabe Jackson. While Seattle’s offensive front does not look like a top-tier unit, Jackson’s presence should help. The Seahawks also drafted a prospective No. 3 wide receiver — Western Michigan’s D’Wayne Eskridge — with its top draft choice.
Through a big-picture lens, this saga may not be finished. But for 2021, Wilson departure drama looks to have ceased. The seven-time Pro Bowler, who informed multiple Seahawks free agents he was not going anywhere, gave no indication any franchise-altering trade will take place in the near future.
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