Russell Wilson’s former Seattle Seahawks teammates have come to his defense after reports indicated that he wanted Pete Carroll and John Schneider fired.
Russell Wilson has been in the news a lot this past year following his trade to the Denver Broncos, which resulted in a lack of success when the expectations were high in the 2022 season. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs with Geno Smith at quarterback. Wilson had faced scrutiny throughout his disastrous first season with the Broncos, from having his own personal coach in the facility to his own office. Even one year after the trade went down, there are more reports regarding the end of Wilson’s tenure in Seattle.
According to a huge report from The Athletic this past Friday, Wilson asked the Seahawks to fire head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider before he was ultimately traded to the Broncos last offseason. This report was vehemently denied by Wilson in the form of a tweet. Considering the amount of drama that surrounded Wilson and the Broncos this past year, this report only added fuel to the proverbial fire.
One of Wilson’s former teammates in defensive linemen Cliff Avril took to Twitter to defend his former quarterback, saying that he is a “stand-up guy” and that he “never had any issues with how he’s moved.”
Russell Wilson’s former Seahawks teammates come to his defense
Days prior to the report about Wilson wanting the Seahawks to fire Carroll and Schneider, former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch praised the quarterback during an appearance on the “I AM ATHLETE podcast,” which premiered on Feb. 20.
Wilson responded to the report on the day it was published, saying the following:
“I love Pete and he was a father figure to me and John believed in me and drafted me as well. I never wanted them fired. All any of us wanted was to win. l’ll always have respect for them and love for Seattle.”
The Broncos 2022 season was under the proverbial microscope due mostly in part to the arrival of Wilson. He was supposed to lead Denver back to the playoffs and potentially take the AFC West title from the Kansas City Chiefs. That wasn’t the case, as Wilson and the offense as a whole struggled mightily under first-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett. That struggles only continued throughout the year, when the Broncos decided they saw enough of Hackett, firing him the day after Christmas.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks exceeded expectations from many NFL pundits. They had perhaps the best NFL Draft class in 2022 and they clinched the seventh seed in the NFC. Not to mention that Smith, who replaced Wilson, made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
With the expectations high, the Broncos’ new ownership group wanted to make a big splash in terms of hiring a head coach. After striking out on Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, they pulled off a trade to acquire Sean Payton from the New Orleans Saints. Payton is known for being one of the best offensive minds in the game, and he has the track record to prove it. Payton will now have the assignment of bringing Wilson back to his prime form.
Wilson and the Seahawks will forever be linked, from his highs of winning Super Bowl 48 to his exit.