Should The Seahawks Be Worried About Russell Wilson?

What was supposed to be an inevitable and routine contract extension for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson has devolved into The Summer Of Seahawk Fans Discontent. Lots of hand-wringing over his stated desire to play baseball again, his less-than-fully-committal comments to Bryant Gumbel, and the continued reports of a wide gap between team and players on that new contract.

It begs the question: Should we be worried about Russell Wilson?

More from Seattle Seahawks News

I don’t mean the oh-no-what-if-he-leaves-us-someday kind of worried. I mean……. is he changing as a person?

What makes Russell Wilson special is, well, his Russell Wilson-ness. Devoted football player, dynamic leader, Children’s Hospital visitor, legendary hard-worker, devout Christian, always working to get better, intense competitor, humble…….

But it’s that last part that makes even yours truly question Wilson’s motivation the last few months. There has been some un-Wilson-like behavior this Spring. Reports of him seeking all-time-high salary numbers, the sometimes bizarre sub-tweeting about those contract negotiations, and dating an R&B singer who uses profanity and sexual innuendo in her music.

Remember those whispers emanating from the Seahawk locker room early last year that some players may have thought Wilson was “big-timing” them and growing too big for his shoes? Add it all up and you could convince yourself there’s some fire under that smoke.

Nothing can ruin a young star faster and more definitively than getting caught up in the hype and celebrity of his position and getting away from what earned that success in the first place. I’m not talking Ryan Leaf life meltdown kind of stuff, but the more subtle kind that causes a player to spend more time tending to his celebrity and, over time, less time in the film room, working out, tending to his craft.

Could this happen to our beloved QB? IS it happening?

It’s doubtful.

First of all, you can flat out ignore his “threats” to play baseball. He wasn’t very good. No way a .229 hitter in Single A ball goes back to playing pro baseball in his 30’s. Not unless he suddenly has a hankering for creaky bus rides from Pasco, WA to Boise, ID.

Then there’s the Tweeting thing. Again, not a cause for concern. Wilson is an exceptional person, but he’s not a robot. Part of his makeup is bristling at those who tell him he can’t succeed. If he needs to find some sort of slight in the typical give and take of contract negotiations to fuel his competitive edge, so be it.

As for who he dates……… I’ve already typed way too many characters in this sentence alone for such a silly thing to worry about.

So here’s my point, if you look at Wilson’s behavior over the last 3 months as a whole you could begin to build a case for concern. But break them up individually and you can see how silly it all is to worry about.

The bottom line is he’s going to sign a new contract, probably before the preseason starts (he and his agent would be nuts to leave extra money on the table this year), and he is going to be the Seahawks QB for his entire career. You’ll never see Russell Wilson in another uniform. Furthermore, on the field, it’s a safe bet he’ll continue to develop and improve as a player.

And if you need a sign of proof, look no further than his absence from the first day of voluntary offseason practice yesterday. Wilson traveled to Florida to be by Jimmy Graham’s side at the funeral of his long-time mentor, and then was reportedly travelling to also comfort Cliff Avril, who’s missing practice himself to spend time with his family after his father passed away. Who does that? Who goes out of his way like that to lend emotional support to teammates, even one like Graham who only joined the team last month?

Russell Wilson. That’s who. And that’s why we can put to rest any of the concern that he’s becoming less Russell Wilson-like with his new found notoriety and celebrity.

Next: Offseason Practice Wrap: Day 1

More from 12th Man Rising

Home/Seattle Seahawks News