Russell Wilson returned to Seattle to spearhead a send-off for Pete Carroll, the coach with whom he won a Super Bowl. Wilson and wealth of other former Seahawks traveled to Seattle on short notice. This came after Carroll transitioned to an "advisory" role with the team after 14 seasons as head coach. "Grateful for all you've done for me, my family, teammates and so many others!" Wilson wrote on Instagram.
Carroll drafted Wilson out of Wisconsin in the third round of the 2013 Draft. Wilson was a rookie starter and helped turned the team into a powerhouse. They would miss the playoffs just over the next nine seasons. However, after an injury-plagued 7-10 2021 campaign that saw the team finish last in the division for the first time since 2000, Wilson was shipped to Denver. This led many to believe that there had been a falling out between coach and quarterback. Despite this speculation, it appears that the pair are in fact on good terms.
Broncos GM Speaks On Russell Wilson Situation
Meanwhile, Denver Broncos GM George Paton has denied that a midseason conversation about Wilson's contract was the reason that Wilson was benched for the final two games of the NFL season. “During the bye week, I did reach out to Russ’ agent in good faith and in a creative attempt to adjust his contract. We couldn’t get a deal done and we did move on with our season. It didn’t come up again. Fast forward, Week 17, Sean makes a change at the quarterback position. This was a football decision made by Sean in what he thought was the best interest of the team. This was completely independent of any conversation I had with the agent. Again, it was a football decision," Paton said.
Furthermore, Paton's comments came at the same press conference in which the Broncos denied reports they were preparing to cut Wilson in the offseason. "I told him, 'Look, I don't think it's going to be a long, drawn-out process,' but it hasn't been decided relative to what our plans are. As soon as we know something certainly, he would be the first to know," head coach Sean Payton said. "Yeah, listen, otherwise it would have been like 'hey, goodbye. We'll look at all the scenarios and try to do what's best for the Broncos. But communication will be important, and, yeah, that final decision hasn't been made," Payton added when asked if conversations had included a path to retain Wilson.
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