Seahawks HC Pete Carroll originally 'had no intention' of trading Russell Wilson

Shortly after the Seattle Seahawks' trade of one-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos became official at the start of the new league year last week, Seahawks chair Jody Allen said in a released statement that "Russell made it clear he wanted this change." Wilson later responded during a press conference that the parting of the ways was "definitely mutual." 

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll offered his side of the story during a Tuesday appearance on local radio station Seattle Sports 710. 

"There was so much compelling reasoning why he would stay because of all of the history and all the time spent. That was exactly where I was coming from, just to use the logic of it," Carroll said of Wilson, according to Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "When you've built a relationship over a long period of time, there's great benefits to that moving forward and well beyond your career and stuff. Those are all parts of the conversation.

"What I continue to say, Mike, I had no intention of making a move at all while guys were under contract, and we were pleased with what was going on and all. So, I fought for the logic of that for a good while until it wasn't meaningful anymore to stick with that."

The suggestion, of course, is that "it wasn't meaningful anymore to stick with that" is Carroll's way of repeating that Wilson, not the Seahawks, wanted a fresh start. 

Seattle currently has 2019 second-round draft pick Drew Lock atop the depth chart at the sport's most important position but has routinely been linked with Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield over the past week. Carroll offered little when speaking about who may be taking snaps for the Seahawks this summer and fall. 

"It's the challenge, it's the excitement, it's the newness, it's the sense of the return to the core of where we began putting things together when we really were wide open and really aggressive and all (that)," Carroll explained. "As time goes (on) and you get kind of connected to the salary cap and the cash cap and all that, you get slowed down a little bit. You don't have as much freedom and all that. So we feel the freedom of the draft picks, we feel the freedom of the financial situation, and the excitement of putting our team together again."

Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are no longer possible options for Carroll and company following Monday's developments.