More information emerged regarding Russell Wilson‘s odd 2022 Friday morning. A report from Kalyn Kahler, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic indicates the veteran quarterback made a request that Seahawks ownership fire both Pete Carroll and John Schneider, citing the duo had inhibited his pursuit of Super Bowls and awards.
This alleged request came weeks before the Seahawks decided to trade Wilson to the Broncos. Wilson denied (via Twitter) he asked for the Seattle HC and GM’s firings, and a lawyer for the QB described that assertion as “entirely fabricated.”
Wilson-Carroll disagreements about the direction of the Seahawks took place ahead of the QB’s 2021 trade destination list surfacing, and after the 2022 trade, reports indicating the NFC West team viewed its former franchise passer as declining came out. A shockingly mediocre Wilson season commenced in Denver. His partnership with Nathaniel Hackett proved a poor fit, and Hackett became the third first-year HC since the 1970 merger to be fired before season’s end.
The Broncos have since traded for Sean Payton, nearly two years after Wilson’s trade list included the Saints. Wilson wanted the Seahawks to trade for Payton’s rights after his Saints exit last year, according to The Athletic. Payton announced he was leaving the Saints on Jan. 25, 2022; Schneider and Broncos GM George Paton began discussing a trade ahead of the Feb. 5 Senior Bowl. The trade took place March 8.
The previously referenced Latavius Murray text message to his former coach occurred just before the Broncos’ Christmas blowout loss to the Rams. Payton had said Murray texted him about he and a backfield teammate wanting him in Denver, with the veteran running back confirming Wilson was the teammate. Murray sent the text Dec. 23, per The Athletic. The Broncos fired Hackett on Dec. 26, following a 51-14 loss to the Rams. No accusation is made of Wilson wanting Hackett to go, but that relationship had long trended in that direction. During the Broncos’ coaching search, Wilson reached out to Payton.
Payton soon put the kibosh on Wilson’s team having full access to Denver’s facility, but Paton allowed Wilson’s personal coach (Jake Heaps), a physical therapist and a nutritionist such privileges last year. Heaps had partial access to the Seahawks’ facility, per The Athletic, and Wilson did not have an office there. Wilson agreed to stop using the office and to keep his support staff out of the building over the season’s final two weeks.
Wilson organized weekly meetings for Denver’s offense during the players’ Tuesday off day, and The Athletic notes Heaps was part of those summits, which were aimed around preparing for the next opponent. An anonymous coach also said he did not agree with the evaluations Wilson and Heaps made on scouting reports distributed on Tuesdays. With Hackett also being accused of being too deferential to players, the potentially incongruent scouting reports would provide a partial explanation for the Broncos’ myriad offensive issues. Those came to a head during an ugly Thursday loss to the Colts in October and persisted for much of the season.
The team ended the year with three play-callers. All three (Hackett, QBs coach Klint Kubiak, OC Justin Outten) are elsewhere now. Melvin Gordon, whom the Broncos waived in November after extensive fumbling problems, said Hackett attempting to blend Wilson’s Seattle offense and Hackett’s preferred Green Bay-style blueprint was “a bit much.” The organization fired Vic Fangio in large part due to his team’s struggles offensively, but the Broncos’ Pat Shurmur–Teddy Bridgewater setup ranked 23rd in scoring. The Hackett-Wilson season produced a last-place ranking, and while numerous injuries contributed to this decline, the Broncos’ QB-HC partnership generated most of the attention. Payton, who signed a five-year contract, will be tasked with cleaning up this mess.
Payton will call the Broncos’ plays next season, accepting the team’s offer after DeMeco Ryans had generated some buzz. Ryans may not have been a serious candidate. While he preferred the Texans, The Athletic describes the former 49ers DC’s Broncos interview as “awkward.”
The Seahawks have begun negotiations with Geno Smith, whose surprising season earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. It remains to be seen if the organization will make a true long-term commitment to Wilson’s former backup, but the team that had made some draft missteps late in Wilson’s tenure will be in position to land more starters via the 2023 first- and second-round picks obtained in the Wilson swap. Carroll is signed through the 2025 season; Schneider’s latest extension runs through 2027. Both decision-makers are going into their 14th seasons in Seattle.
Wow, what a Diva.
Signed A. Rodgers
“Wow, what’s that guy’s problem?” – Aaron Rodgers, 2021-2023
Wilson thought he was in the NBA and that doesn’t work in the NFL.
He took inspiration from KD and Trae Young
How many times does a guy have to read this mess for it to make sense?
Serious word vomit.
Yeah, definitely not this writer’s finest effort. Had have had have had have
Mr. Danger Russ needs to get the memo, no one likes you now, you come off as insincere, phony, and fake.
Everyone liked you better as Russell “Carlton” Wilson more humble, nerdy, and quirky.
Dating Ciara and going Hollywood has gone to his head. His undoing is his own fault, and unless he humbles himself there won’t be any coming back.
I will say, that Russ has never tweeted or even publicly responded to any of this drama bs ever. And he went out of his way to pour sugar on Pete and John.
I’m not saying I’m convinced that Russ didn’t try to get them fired (nor do I even really care); but from a psychology student’s perspective, I’ve always thought Russ was a really genuine dude. People make fun of him and trash because he doesn’t stray away from his robot ra ra bs in the media; so what? That makes him a “bad guy?” Because he always tries to stay positive and exude leadership?
Personally, I believe that Russ while not perfect….is a pretty damn genuine guy; and all the stuff he’s getting trashed for….people should really take a step back before they cast stones. It’s one thing to THINK something; but he’s never done anything that makes him deserve Joe blow wife beater calling him a pos for some pretty weak “accusations”…..
As a person sure he’s fine as an nfl quarterback he looked like trash last year. Who watches football because we love the players personality’s? Hopefully nobody, we watch it for the game
The reason that RW is no longer in Seattle is that he publicly criticized the team. In particular, Pete and John. He won more football games than any QB in the history of the NFL in his first 10 seasons, and still trademarked the phrase “Let Russ Cook”. He complained his way out of a situation where his team won the second most NFL games of any franchise (New England was first) during his time in Seattle. Furthermore, he left Seattle to get away from Pete and John, not the traffic. He didn’t leave the Seattle for the glitz and glamour of Denver. He thought that he was being held back, and then threw a fit in the media about it. He was wrong and ownership was right to keep the coach and GM and trade the baby to Denver where he could cook. I don’t think this makes him Deshaun Watson or anything, but he is a whiner and a jerk and I hope he loses many games.
I think he’s a guy with too many voices in his ear. He seems to be really eager to please everyone at once. He started off as a really grounded, humble, guy. Then somewhere along the way someone convinced him he needed to play the part of superstar celebrity and because of his desire to live up to the expectations of others, he went along. At this point he seems lost, on the field and off.
What complete BS… Click bait if you believe this…
Players manipulating the front office is as old as the Statue of Liberty play. In the 1960s, the agent for Jim Ringo wanted Green Bay to give his client a raise. Next time the agent heard from the Packers he learned — from Vince Lombardi himself — that Ringo had been traded.
What’s not to believe?? Most of this was already out in the public. Here in Seattle, we are not surprised because his boy Heaps was talking for him in the media about how he didn’t like Pete’s philosophy or John’s roster construction. He blamed his line for taking too many hits, and his people put out a list of teams that he would accept a trade to. What part of this is not to be believed??
I find people much more believable when they have a lawyer speak for them…..
I don’t buy it. This is just the kind of story that comes out in low tide. Russell’s much more about him and his entourage. He’s never been known to direct energies towards other people, trash talk or otherwise.
Wow. What a piece of garbage human being. Schneider and Carroll were just as much responsible taking the Seahawks to the SB twice than Wilson during that time. It shows you Wilson’s true colors
this guy has no idea how to write, this article sucks
Looks like Wilson is determined to move ahead of Jay Cutler on the “QBs we love to hate” list.
I’m not so certain that I believe this. Certainly, it seems that Wilson has an uncommonly self-laudatory view of himself, and we know of his frustrations with Carroll and the Seahawks (a problem that Carroll seems to created himself over the years), but to make an actual request to have the power structure fired…and have them replaced with the coach he happens to have now, who was under contract with the Saints at the time? It seems a bit much to me.
I’m not certain that this is a completely credible story by The Athletic. Who would leak, or know enough to leak, this information? Who, other than ownership and Wilson/his representative would know the details? And why would Wilson attempt to change the power structure in Seattle if he were trying simultaneously to be traded (to the Saints or to the couple of other teams that he preferred)? It just sounds like a bit of a stretch that the authors either bought into or expect us to believe just based on Wilson’s personality. How serious was this supposed request? Why is Wilson’s lawyer the one who responded, rather than his agent-is Wilson considering a suit against the writers? Too many questions, too little information…from a paid subscription site.
We already know most of this because his boy Heaps would complain in the media for him. This isn’t new. Wilson went to ownership and asked them to fire the coach and GM so that he could “cook” and when they said no he asked to be traded. What is not to be believed about this?? It confirms what we know. RW wanted to get away from Pete and John. Not the city of Seattle. Luckily, the owner made the correct choice and Seattle found a sucker to take RW and his team of yes men.
“The more outrageous the conspiracy, the more likely it will be believed” is a theory many journalists support.
What is the conspiracy?? If there is still a love fest with Russ and the Seahawks, then why is he in Denver?? This is not very hard. RW went to ownership and said you have to choose me or them, and ownership said them. This isn’t a wild conspiracy. If this wasn’t true, then RW would be the QB for the Seahawks, not the Broncos.
Where’s Tiger Woods? Needs to give Russ the same thing he gave Justin Thomas.
He judged and now he’s being judged himself.
If only he’d been warned about that in a way that aligns with his image.
Also…he came at the king and he missed…
Pete Carroll took one look at this tiny man trying to get him fired, traded him to oblivion for a king’s ransom and made Geno Smith into a star while Wilson became a joke.
Maybe he believes in karma now.
If you go back and look at things that were written about Wilson over the years none of this should be surprising.
I have said a few times my niece goes to the same church that he went to. He would walk in with the pastor and sit in the first row surrounded by his people. Even though more than a half dozen other Hawks go to the church and are fine. Mariners also go. Not sure about other athletes but probably.
There have been other things going back to the SB loss to up before he was traded. Pete coddled him and the monster got so big he tried to bite above himself lost and the master tranqed him and kicked him out. Wilson is a poser and has so many irons in the fire he can’t spend as much time with FB as he claims. How many businesses does he own?
Lastly I am not judging it is an observation I also am no Bible scholar but how many Christian men would let their wife dress like his wife or perform like that. Or mostly marry someone that does what she does. The Bible says you will know a man by his fruits. What kind of fruits do these things show?
I don’t know about any of the church stuff, but Jesus said that if you have two coats, you should give one away to somebody that is cold. I don’t think Jesus would think much of a person that is multimillionaire and has a foundation that donates .24 on the dollar that it collects. The best indication of what kind of person RW is for those of us that don’t know him is the way his former teammates feel about him. Ask Marshawn and Sherman what kind of teammate and person RW is.
I wasn’t aware that a wife needed her husband’s permission to dress a certain way.