Russell Wilson confirms that Seahawks tried to trade him prior to his offseason move to Broncos
After the bombshell trade that sent Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos, the NFL schedule makers dropped a doozy.
Wilson will make his Broncos debut on Monday in a road game against his former Seahawks.
With the game now four days out, the buzz around the matchup is reaching full throttle. And Wilson is answering — and confirming — queries that he was dangled on the trade market long before his offseason move to Denver.
Wilson spoke with reporters on Thursday, a day after ESPN's Brady Henderson reported that the Seahawks tried to trade him to the Cleveland Browns in 2018 for the No. 1 pick they ultimately used to draft Baker Mayfield.
"Definitely they tried to, a couple of times, tried to see what was out there" Wilson said when asked if the Seahawks previously tried to trade him. "It's part of the business, and it's part of being a professional and everything else."
Wilson was also asked if he was upset by Seahawks' efforts to trade him.
"Upset's probably the wrong word," Wilson said. "I believe in my talent, in who I am. I believe I'm one of the best in the world. I don't worry about anything else other than that."
Wilson declined to address specific trade rumors and reports. Meanwhile, his response that "upset's probably the wrong word" doesn't quite jibe with the ESPN report's account.
Per Henderson, Seahawks general manager John Schneider attended Patrick Mahomes' pro day in 2017 and Josh Allen's in 2018 prior to each quarterback becoming a top-10 pick. This all took place as Wilson was in his prime in Seattle.
Schneider was prepared to select Mahomes in 2017 had he fallen to the Seahawks, per the report. Instead, the AFC West-rival Kansas City Chiefs selected him and have advanced to every AFC championship game since Mahomes took over at quarterback in 2018.
According to the report, a Seahawks source described Wilson's camp as "f***ing pissed" about Schneider's dalliances with other quarterbacks, which prompted him to insist on a no-trade clause in his next contract.
If he was "pissed," Wilson's not the type to say so publicly. He's a master of quarterback speak and avoiding saying anything that could be deemed controversial. He'd prefer to gush about his former team, as he did on Thursday. He spoke effusively of his time in Seattle, citing "amazing memories and amazing friends" while naming former Seahawks teammates including Bobby Wagner, DK Metcalf and Chris Carson, among others.
"Seattle will mean the world to me, will always forever be home for me, will always be a special place in my heart," Wilson said.
As for walking into Seattle for the first time as a visiting player?
"It'll definitely be an experience I've never experienced before," he said.
Given their history and success together, Wilson's exit from Seattle was certainly messier than he and Seahawks fans would have liked. But come Monday, it's officially time to turn the page.
