With Russell Wilson returning to his old stomping grounds to start the season, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll doesn’t want fans to go easy on him.
A decade together isn’t enough to get a standing ovation from Carroll, evidently.
The Seattle head coach certainly appreciates the time the two spent together, and the Super Bowl Wilson helped him win in 2014, but it’s a new season now. The time for looking back was this offseason.
But that’s not the nature of sports, nor is it the nature of headlines. In the lead-up to Wilson’s Seattle return, there have been plenty of questions asked as to why the 33-year-old quarterback was traded in the first place, especially considering the Seahawks’ unstable status at the position.
Carroll doesn’t care about any of that.
Russell Wilson’s return is emotional for Seahawks fans
Wilson’s departure was the official end to the Legion of Boom era, even though Russ played QB and had nothing to do with the team’s vaunted defensive unit. But that end could’ve come far sooner, as Wilson revealed this week.
“Definitely they tried to (trade me), a couple of times, tried to see what was out there,” Wilson said, per 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.”
Per ESPN, Seattle tried to trade Wilson to the Browns in 2018, and had conversations with teams in 2021.
Wilson was upset about those offers at the time, and was also displeased about his role in Seattle’s offense. Eventually, a trade did come. Still, Wilson is grateful for his time in Seattle.
“I believe I am one of the best in the world. I don’t worry about anything else other than that. I think my focus has always been on winning, what we can do, how we can add great players and everything else,” Wilson said, per SB Nation. “I got to play with some amazing guys, some of the world’s best. … So my focus is always on winning. That’s really all that matters.”
It’s time to move on to the next chapter. But first, a standing ovation is due, whether Carroll wants one or not.
