Seahawks: The real reason Russell Wilson left from a fan’s view
Rumors of Russell Wilson’s potential departure from the Seahawks began a few years ago when there were reports that he wanted to be traded to the New York Giants. At the time, it felt so far-fetched, but looking back years later, there’s a reason the story had traction.
At the time, Wilson denied that he had requested a trade. However, his agent continued to feed the rumors by revealing which teams Wilson would waive his no-trade clause for, and the Denver Broncos happened to be one of them.
It became quite clear towards the end of Wilson’s tenure in Seattle that he was growing increasingly frustrated with the way things were being run.
Lack of trust drove Russell Wilson away from the Seahawks
The reason behind Russell Wilson’s departure from Seattle can be traced all the way back to one play—that infamous play on the 1-yard line in Super Bowl XLIX. You know the one.
Everything in Seattle all came crashing down because of one word: trust. Or lack thereof.
The chemistry in Seattle has been off since the Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots back in 2015. It’s been felt by fans for a while but was recently confirmed by former Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright.
In an interview with Mike Salk, Wright said that “the bond was broken” when the Seahawks chose to pass the ball on the 1-yard line instead of opting to run it. Trust quickly went out the door and so did some of Seattle’s most beloved players, including the Legion of Boom.
The resentment was strong toward Wilson—who was only in his third NFL season at the time—but trust was also lost in head coach Pete Carroll. Over the next several years, Carroll failed to lead the Seahawks to another Super Bowl or even Conference Championship and only earned playoff berths as a wildcard from thereon out.
For the years following the big loss, continuous mismanagement of the offense is ultimately what led the Seahawks to miss the playoffs (twice) for the first time since Wilson was drafted in 2012. Carroll’s failure to re-establish a winning culture and provide a team that Wilson could win with is arguably one of the reasons that drove Wilson away.