Seahawks "never actively negotiated" Wilson trade this offseason
Rumors of Russel Wilson potentially leaving Seattle this offseason were squashed by the Seahawks GM. Wilson is entering his 10th season in the NFL.
Pete Carroll is looking forward to a "long future" together with Russell Wilson after Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider told reporters he "never actively negotiated with anybody" over a trade of their superstar quarterback.
Wilson's future has been a source of much debate this offseason.
He appeared to be in MVP contention as Seattle made a 6-1 start to the 2020 season, but a lack of effective pass protection meant the 32-year-old could not maintain that standard.
Wilson staying under center in Seattle
The 47 sacks he suffered in the regular season were the third-most among NFL QBs.
Wilson has been sacked on a league-high 394 occasions in his Seahawks career, well clear of Matt Ryan (325) in second on that list.
"I'm frustrated [about] getting hit too much," he said in February.
To this, Carroll said on Wednesday: "He wasn't any more frustrated than I was."
Reports emerged of Wilson naming four teams he would be interested in being dealt to, yet Schneider now says such a move was never an option.
Seahawks GM Schnieder: There were a number of teams that called
"There were a number of teams that called after that media blitz that happened, but no, I never actively negotiated with anybody, with any team," he said.
"Did people call? Absolutely."
Carroll described Wilson's comments as "a pretty normal reaction" and said the pair had "talked extensively throughout the offseason", "as many conversations as we've ever had".
"Russ has been our quarterback for a good while," Carroll said. "We've got a long contract with him.
"And when all of the conversation went about trades and all that, I knew what the truth was: we weren't trading Russell.
Carroll planning on a "long future" with Wilson
"So, we plan on him being here for a good while. I don't know how many years it is now, but we're in great shape and a long future ahead of us is shared.
"Russ knows that. I know that. We're very clear about it.
"That's why it was really obvious that we just had to sit back and kind of let the media take its course with the topic. So we did.
"We're in good shape and both very clear about that."
Wilson's completion percentage of 72.3 fell to 61.6 under pressure in 2020, but this was good enough to rank third in the NFL in these situations – behind Teddy Bridgewater (65.9) and Kirk Cousins (62.2).