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When Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said 16 days ago that the team “had no intention” of trading quarterback Russell Wilson, we took it as a true reflection of organizational thinking. Simply put, they didn’t plan to trade him, but their plans could be changed by an offer they couldn’t or didn’t want to refuse.
It is now clear that the comment was less true than it seemed. Indeed, although Carroll said the team had “no intention” of trading Wilson, the team was actively negotiating with the Broncos.
“The fact that it didn’t leak – we had a month of negotiations between [General Manager] John [Schneider] and I didn’t leak. It’s a credit to John and a credit to the Seahawks, Broncos, Russ and his team,” Broncos general manager George Paton said Wednesday.
So how did it all start? Who took the first step? According to a league source, the Seahawks have initiated communication with the Broncos.
While it’s theoretically possible to reconcile that Seattle made the first move with a torrent of statements indicating that Wilson wanted to leave, the fact that the Seahawks called the Broncos suggests that even if Wilson wanted to leave, the Seahawks didn’t try to convince him to stay. around for another year.
“One more year” was the key. The Seahawks were a year behind Wilson and agent Mark Rogers, looking for another market value contract. The Seahawks were a year away from taking a firm stand against him. The Seahawks knew that if they traded Wilson at a time when he was expecting a major new contract, the Seahawks would get less for him than they do now.
So it wasn’t about Wilson wanting to leave. It was about both sides reading the room and realizing that it would be beneficial for both of them to move on. It was mutual.
Whether the team or Wilson was first suspected, the dysfunction was rooted in the fact that the Seahawks never used Wilson the way he wanted to be used. Resentment never passed through him. The attack was never built around him. They kept paying him as the franchise’s quarterback, but didn’t play him as him.
Something had to give. Would give next year. It gave now. Wilson wanted it. The team wanted it. And when it came time to start the process of moving, they didn’t wait for the phone to ring. They called the Broncos.