Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson opened up Thursday about the saga surrounding the Super Bowl winner and his organization.
The comments came days before Seattle wraps up what has been a lost season with an NFC West outing against the Arizona Cardinals.
While Wilson did indicate he’d like to remain in the Pacific Northwest, he stopped well short of guaranteeing that.
“For me, I think what I’m really super passionate about obviously, my goal is to win more Super Bowls. And my plan is to win them here. It’s that simple,” Russell Wilson told reporters in his weekly press conference. “There’s nothing really else other than that.”
The quarterback also opened up about his now-infamous no-trade clause.
“When it comes to a no-trade clause in sports, the main reason is so that teams can’t trade somebody to anywhere. That’s the No. 1 reason, right? ’Cause in sports, you can wake up the next morning and you’re gone to somewhere else. That’s the No. 1 reason,” Wilson said.
Nothing here is too shocking. However, Wilson seemingly doubled down by not guaranteeing his return to the Seahawks for an 11th season. Rumors have persisted since before the 2021 campaign started that Wilson wants out of dodge.
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A lot of that has to do with a lack of player personnel control and a perceived rift with head coach Pete Carroll. Any time a quarterback-head coach tandem has been together for this long, drama will end up becoming commonplace. Just look at Bill Belichick and Tom Brady with the New England Patriots before the quarterback bolted to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season.
Even then, there seems to be a whole heck of a lot more to this.
Russell Wilson’s comments come following interesting report
“There is a leaguewide feeling, according to sources, that Carroll and Wilson will not be together again next season, which would represent the end of one of the most successful head coach/quarterback duos in NFL history,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier in the week.
The fact that Wilson is even touching on these rumors and not shutting them down completely should tell us a story. There seems to be smoke to this fire.
For his part, Wilson is closing up shop on what has been a successful season.
- Russell Wilson stats (2021 season): 65% completion, 2,875 yards, 22 TD, 5 INT, 102.5 rating
The issue here continues to be a lack of pass protection in front of Wilson — something he touched on as far back as following the 2020 NFL season.
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“Like any player, you never want to get hit. That’s the reality of playing this position. Ask any quarterback who wants to play this game. I think that the reality is I’ve definitely been hit. I’ve been sacked almost 400 times, so we’ve got to get better,” Wilson told reporters back in February of 2021. “I’m frustrated (about) getting hit too much. I’m frustrated with that part of it. At the end of the day, you want to win.”
Things did not get much better this season for a Seahawks squad set to close up shop on its first losing season since Wilson joined the squad as a third-round pick back in 2011.
Russell Wilson sack numbers
- 2021: 32 (2.5 per game)
- 2020: 47 (2.9 per game)
- 2019: 48 (3.0 per game)
- 2018: 51 (3.2 per game)
- 2017: 43 (2.7 per game)
We did see a gradual decrease in these numbers during the 2021 season. However, a lot of that had to do with Seattle going more quick strike in the passing game.
It also must be noted that Wilson missed three games to injury after being hit by Aaron Donald back in Week 5. Despite being the most-sacked quarterback in the league since 2011, this represented the first action Wilson has missed in his career.
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Will Russell Wilson request a trade?
That’s the obvious million-dollar question here. By touching on his no-trade clause, Wilson made it clear that he’s considering this option.
Previously, the quarterback was linked to the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants — among other teams.
Chicago is out of the question after trading up for Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft. It’s not yet known whether the Raiders want to stick with Derek Carr or upgrade under center. The are still in playoff contention heading into Week 18 and are preparing for an off-season of change following the resignation of Jon Gruden.
Long story longer, we have no idea what Wilson is thinking behind the scenes as it relates to a potential new host city. It will be limited to contending teams. As such, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and even the Cleveland Browns could make sense.