WILSON TALKS CRITIQUES
Broncos QB confirms Seahawks tried to trade him ‘a couple times’ during his 10-year, Super Bowl winning tenure in Seattle
A day after being labeled a “descending player” by an anonymous source in the Seahawks’ front office, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson took the high road in response to an ESPN story about his departure from Seattle.
Speaking on Thursday at the Uchealth Training Center, four days ahead of Wilson’s return to Lumen Field for the season opener against his former team,
Wilson said he wasn’t sure of the reception he’ll receive from the “12th man.”
But if he does get booed by Seahawks fans, he won’t be worried about it.
“People are going to love me, people are going to hate you sometimes,” Wilson said. “But I know that for me, I’ll forever have love in my heart for Seattle.
“Those 10 years, I couldn’t imagine those not being in my life and how special they were, and how many games we won, the amazing thrillers, the Super
Bowl we won. I’m going to think about all that and the joy and gratitude from that. And also, we’ve got a football game to play.”
The ESPN story detailed the “drama” leading to Wilson’s blockbuster trade to Denver in March, when general manager George Paton sent two firstround picks (2022, ’23), two second-round picks (2022, ’23), a fifth-round pick (2022), tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris and quarterback Drew Lock to Seattle in exchange for the Pro Bowl quarterback and a 2022 fourth-round pick.
Head coach Nathaniel Hackett smirked when asked about the report, and specifically the concerns that Wilson is on the decline.
“I just know what I see out on the practice field,” Hackett said. “He looks awesome.”
Wilson confirmed the Seahawks tried to trade him “a couple times” during his tenure there, but said that he wasn’t angered by those attempts. One of those trade attempts was with the Browns prior to the 2018 draft, before Wilson had a notrade clause in his contract.