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Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson publicly said what he needed to say in the days after the Super Bowl. Someone has been speaking privately ever since, and this culminated in a long article on TheAthletic.com that shows what’s closest and the fractures and fissures in a relationship that currently appears to have a life much closer to bread than to bricks.
The article takes a closer look at the tension between Wilson and the coaching staff over Wilson’s desire to be essentially offensive, like Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. This motivation drove the phenomenon #LetRussCook at the beginning of the season. But coach Pete Carroll went crazy after a turnaround party against the Bills (four from Wilson) and another underperforming performance against the Rams (three more twists from Wilson).
After Wilson’s seven twists and turns in two games, the Seahawks faced a weeklong challenge against a Cardinals team that had a two-game winning streak against Seattle, and that was riding a wave of euphoria after Hail Murray’s victory over o Bills.
Here’s what happened next, through the story on TheAthletic.com: “Before Thursday night’s game against Arizona, Wilson met with his coaches. For a time, Wilson sought – even pressed – for influence within the organization in relation to the scheme and the people. At the meeting, he expounded his own ideas on how to fix the crime. His suggestions were rejected, several sources said The Athletic – yet another reminder to Wilson that the Seahawks did not see him as he did, as a player who gained greater control over his situation, his future, his legacy. He left the room furious. “
It doesn’t take a magnifying glass or other Sherlockian investigative tools to conclude that this nugget comes from the Seahawks, who are finally resisting the notion that Wilson’s skill set justifies more power and control.
Consider this quote in the story, from an unidentified source that is certainly not linked to Wilson: “He’s finally on fire. That is the main reason for all this. . . . People are talking and holding him responsible because he is one of the highest paid defenders, he says he wants to be the best, so now people are keeping him in that pattern. . . . It is a public relations game. He’s trying to protect himself. “
It is not clear whether the unidentified font is a Seahawks font. If so, it suggests that the Seahawks should really try to get a big commercial package from a team that sees Wilson the way Wilson sees Wilson. If so, it also suggests that the Seahawks should be more discreet about their true feelings, since if that is how they view Wilson, perhaps a large commercial offer is not justified.
This is really what it means. If the Seahawks see Wilson as a great player of all time, they should treat him that way. If they don’t, they must exchange it for a team that does, as that team would draw up an exchange offer that the Seahawks would regard as something they cannot refuse.
Wilson certainly sees himself as someone who has the potential to enter the top 5 in league history. And he has every right to think that. The current problem between the player and the team seems to be that the Seahawks do not share this assessment and / or are not willing to transform their overall strategy to allow Wilson to create the kind of numbers and results that will prove that Wilson belongs to the pantheon of the best defenders of professional football in history. Given Wilson’s current career goals, it’s not a question of whether, but when the two sides will go their separate ways.