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Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said publicly what he had to say in the days following the Super Bowl. Since then someone has spoken privately, and it has resulted in a lengthy article from TheAthletic.com that comes the closest and the breaks and chasms in a relationship that currently seems to have a shelf life much closer to bread than bricks .
The article takes a detailed look at the tension between Wilson and the coaching staff regarding Wilson’s desire to be essentially the offense, like Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. That motivation fueled the #LetRussCook phenomenon early in the season. But coach Pete Carroll panicked after a sales frenzy against the Bills (four from Wilson) and another poor performance against the Rams (three more Wilson sales).
After Wilson’s seven turnovers in two games, the Seahawks faced a short-week challenge against a Cardinals team that had a two-game winning streak against Seattle, which was a wave of euphoria after Hail Murray’s victory at the Bills.
Here’s what happened next, via the story in TheAthletic.com: “Before Thursday night’s game against Arizona, Wilson had a meeting with his coaches. For some time, Wilson sought – even insisted – for influence within the organization in terms of control and personnel. During the meeting, he outlined his own ideas for solving the violation. His suggestions were rejected, multiple sources said The athletic – another reminder to Wilson that the Seahawks didn’t see him the same way he saw himself, as a player who had gained more control over his situation, his future, his legacy. He stormed out of the room. “
It doesn’t take a magnifying glass or any other Sherlockian research tools to conclude that this nugget comes from the Seahawks, who are finally recoiling from the idea that Wilson’s skills warrant more power and control.
Consider this quote in the story, from an unnamed source certainly unrelated to Wilson: “He’s finally getting heat. That is the main reason for all of this. People talk and hold him accountable because he’s one of the highest paid quarterbacks, he says he wants to be the best, so now people are holding him to that standard. It’s a PR game. He’s trying to protect himself. “
It is unclear whether the unnamed source is a Seahawks source. If so, it suggests that the Seahawks should indeed try to find a major trading package from a team that sees Wilson as Wilson sees Wilson. If so, it also suggests that the Seahawks should be more discreet about their true feelings, because seeing Wilson as such may not warrant a huge trade offer.
That’s really what this boils down to. If the Seahawks consider Wilson an all-time great, they should treat him like that. If they don’t, they’ll have to trade him in for a team that does, as that team would draft a trade offer that the Seahawks would consider an offer they can’t refuse.
Wilson certainly sees himself as someone who has the potential to break the top five in league history. And he has every right to think so. The current problem between player and team appears to be that the Seahawks do not share that assessment and / or they are not willing to transform their overall strategy to have Wilson create the kind of numbers and results that prove Wilson to the pantheon of the best. professional football quarterbacks in history. Given Wilson’s current goals for his career, the question is not if but when the two sides will go their separate ways.