Heaps: This is about Russell Wilson wanting to win, not leave Seahawks

The Mariners dominated the Seattle sports world’s spotlight for a few days, but on Thursday, tension between the Seahawks and star quarterback Russell Wilson took over the conversation yet again.

O’Neil: Middle ground for Wilson, Seahawks only getting harder to find

In a Thursday morning story from Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic, the trio reported on the strained relationship between Wilson and the Seahawks, saying that Wilson at one point walked out of a meeting with coaches during the 2020 season because his ideas were being shot down. It was also reported Wilson was upset that head coach Pete Carroll pulled the plug on the pass-happy offense Seattle used in the first half of 2020, which helped the Seahawks jump out to a 5-0 start for the first time in team history.

Also mentioned in the report was that during the Super Bowl, Wilson texted 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake Heaps, his former teammate and current personal quarterback coach, that he was angry that he was not playing in the game.

Later Thursday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Mark Rodgers, Wilson’s agent, told him that Wilson hasn’t requested a trade, but if the Seahawks and Wilson go down that road, he’d want to be traded to the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders or New Orleans Saints.

Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson has not demanded a trade, his agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN. Wilson has told the Seahawks he wants to play in Seattle but, if a trade were considered, the only teams he would go to are the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, Bears.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2021

During the opening segment of Thursday’s Jake and Stacy on 710 ESPN Seattle, Heaps shared his thoughts on the situation, saying he understands fans being frustrated with what’s been happening this offseason and experssing that he was shocked by the reports that came out.

“He has no trade demands, and that’s kind of what it was felt to be like and what everyone was reacting to, and that’s not even close to where this thing is at,” Heaps said of Wilson potentially being traded. (You can watch part of the segment in the video below or at this link.)

Heaps said that Wilson clearly was unhappy at the Super Bowl because he wanted to be playing in the game instead of watching it. But even with that frustration, Heaps said that doesn’t mean Wilson will be or even wants to be traded from the Seahawks.

“This is about Russell Wilson wanting to win,” Heaps said. “This isn’t about Wilson wanting to leave Seattle. This isn’t him not wanting to be a Seahawk and (finishing his career) here. He wants to win. He’s done sitting back and wishing and hoping for things to change. I think that’s very evident, right?”

Wilson’s frustration with the Seahawks stems from being hit and sacked more than any quarterback since 2012, and not having as much of a seat at the table when it comes to offensive personnel and play calling.

“He has expressed his desire to have more say in the offensive scheme and be more involved in personnel decisions when it comes to the offensive side of the ball,” Heaps said.

So will the Seahawks have a new starting quarterback next season?

“I fully expect and believe that Russell Wilson will be a Seahawk here in 2021,” Heaps said. “He’s not going anywhere.”

Many have speculated whether a lot of the reports this offseason surrounding Wilson and the Seahawks have been “smoke” instead of a true fire. Heaps says he’d lean towards the former, but there’s definitely some mending that needs to be done between the Seahawks and Wilson.

“I also believe there is a lot of tension and a lot of friction that is going on internally, and obviously publicly now, between Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll, (general manager) John Schneider and that group,” he said.

You can hear Heaps’ full discussion with co-host Stacy Rost in the podcast at this link or in the player below.

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