Russell Wilson's agent denies trade demand as speculation over QB's future mounts

Russell Wilson’s agent, Mark Rogers, has denied his client wants to be traded away from the Seattle Seahawks, the team he has played with for his entire NFL career.

Rogers told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Wilson wants to stay with the Seahawks but added that his client would only consider the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints as destinations if he was traded.

The eight-time Pro Bowler has spoken about the number of hits he has taken down the years behind the

team’s consistently unimpressive offensive line. According to ESPN, Wilson has been sacked more times in his first nine seasons than any player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. When asked whether he could be traded earlier this month, Wilson told Dan Patrick: “I’m not sure if I’m available or not. That’s a Seahawks question”.

Speculation about Wilson’s future mounted on Thursday after a story in The Athletic detailed Wilson’s frustration with Seahawks management, including long-time head coach Pete Carroll. The Athletic details one incident in which Wilson decided to “storm out” of a team meeting after Seattle coaching staff pushed back against his ideas for the team. He is also said to be frustrated at the control Tom Brady has been given over team affairs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom he led to the Super Bowl title this month.

Wilson has three years left on the $140m contract extension he signed in 2019. He also has a no-trade clause in the contract, meaning he could not be moved against his wishes. A trade before 1 June would also hit the Seahawks hard, leaving them with $39m in dead money against the salary cap.

Any team wishing to acquire Wilson would have to pay a hefty price of draft picks for one of the finest players of his generation who, at the age of 32, is still in his prime.