Earlier this month, we reported that Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks are experiencing a bit of marital strife. At the time, they weren’t quite sleeping in separate beds yet, but I could imagine Russell was bad-mouthing the organization in front of their kids and those Sunday dinners got awkward as hell.
Fast forward to today, and The Athletic has dropped a tantalizing report detailing the schism between Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll. Of particular note, it appears that divorce proceedings between the two could come far sooner than later.
From Wilson’s perspective, the Seahawks have not only handcuffed him within a restrictive offense, but they’ve provided him with about as much protection as NBA Youngboy. At Wilson’s own wedding, former teammate Robert Turbin alluded to as much with a joke that might’ve hit a little too close to home: “The reason that we’re here is because he’s on pace to be the most sacked quarterback in the history of the NFL.”
There’s also the whole “Pete Carroll can do whatever the hell he wants” thing even though he preaches accountability, which Real Hawk Talk host Evan Hill was kind enough to point out on Twitter:
From the Seahawks’ perspective, he’s getting sacked so damn much not because of a porous offensive line, but because he’s holding on to the ball for an eternity trying to extend plays. They’d also prefer to run the ball more—word to Malcolm Butler—as Wilson is beginning to yield diminishing returns despite being one of the highest-paid players in the league. He’s still a superstar talent, but it’s hard to ignore that at 32-years-old, he’s mere months removed from the worst stretch of his career. Over the course of Seattle’s final eight games, Ciara’s baby daddy was 28th in the league in yards per attempt—not exactly worth a $31 million cap hit.
“He’s finally catching heat,” an anonymous source told The Athletic. “That’s the main reason for all of this. […] People are talking and holding him accountable because he’s one of the highest-paid quarterbacks, he says he wants to be the greatest, so now people are holding him to that standard.”
A veteran coached echoed a similar sentiment.
“What the fuck is wrong with Russell Wilson?” the coach told The Athletic. “He is seeing ghosts. They act like they are not protecting him, but he kills the protection. There are times they got a clean pocket, he runs up in there, he just panics. He is not playing very good at all.”
So now we’ve come to the part in the movie where the kids have to decide if they want to live with mommy or daddy. Because after one too many tense Sunday dinners, there might not be enough flowers or apologies in the universe to salvage this marriage.
From The Athletic:
Wilson and Carroll have won at least nine games in each of nine seasons together. They have made the playoffs every season but one, won a Super Bowl and lost another. But the Seahawks haven’t reached the NFC Championship game since 2014, and Wilson’s frustration has escalated to the point that his camp has broached potential trade destinations with the Seahawks. According to sources, those teams include ones mentioned in La Canfora’s column the day of the Super Bowl: the Dolphins, Jets, Saints and Raiders. Some people around the league think a trade could happen, if not this offseason then sometime in the near future.
It’s important to remember that Dangeruss has yet to openly demand a trade, and he also has a no-trade clause in his contract. So there won’t be any bags being packed unless he says so. However, his agent, Mark Rodgers, has made it abundantly clear that if the relationship between his client and the Seahawks is irreconcilable, they’ve got Tinder dates already lined up with the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, and that one team Mitchell Trubisky must have incriminating pictures of.
I couldn’t help but notice that my beloved Broncos weren’t on Russell’s preferred list of teams. And while I’m deeply hurt and offended, perhaps Russ missed the memo that Denver not only has a plethora of cap space, but a far superior offensive line and a treasure trove of weapons to throw to. I’d prefer Deshaun Watson—hiiiiiiii Deshaun!!!—but we would graciously accept you with open arms.
This is definitely something to keep an eye on, so we’ll keep you updated if Russell decides to make a move for the door.