Groz: Seahawks send Russell Wilson clear message of how they value him
The Seahawks were the center of the sports world for more than a month after star quarterback Russell Wilson went public with his displeasure about Seattle’s pass protection. He also stated that he wanted to be more involved in how the team builds its roster.
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This, naturally, sparked numerous trade rumors, which were aided by Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers giving ESPN a list of four teams Wilson would OK a trade to, even though he wasn’t specifically asking for a trade.
Now that we’re more than two weeks into NFL free agency, the Seahawks have made a number of key moves, most of which will directly help Wilson as those moves are on the offensive side of the football.
In his latest Just a Minute video, 710 ESPN Seattle’s Dave “The Groz” Grosby said that the inevitable has happened, which is that “the Russell Wilson noise has lowered to a dull roar” as the star quarterback and the Seahawks “get ready to move forward together.”
“And I submit that the Seahawks, without saying anything, may have shown very clearly how they feel about their quarterback,” Grosby added.
The Seahawks have made it clear for years that they hold Wilson in high regard be it through paying him record-setting deals or, even further back, naming the 2012 third-round pick the team’s starting quarterback as a rookie despite paying Matt Flynn starting quarterback money in free agency that same offseason.
But Seattle’s recent actions when it comes to reported trade offers from the Chicago Bears, Grosby said, should have sent a clear message to Wilson about how the Seahawks value him. Reportedly, the Bears offered three first-round picks, a third-round pick and two starters, one of whom was believed to be All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack.
“The Seahawks barely paused in saying no to the Bears, and the message sent to Wilson could not be more clear: We value you a lot, a ton,” Grosby said. “To not pull the trigger on the deal should show Wilson that the Seahawks are invested in him, and that’s what it’s going to be.”
By telling the Bears “thanks but no thanks,” Grosby believes Wilson should see now that team management and ownership are firmly behind the veteran signal caller.
“And I think the message was received, as you heard a ‘Go Hawks’ from Wilson this week, and his tweet out to Chris Carson sure seemed like the old Russell,” Grosby said.
Listen to Grosby’s full thoughts by clicking on this link, or by playing the video at the top of this story.
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