‘Most ridiculous story I’ve ever covered’: Clayton on Seahawks-Wilson trade rumors
Dec 10, 2021, 4:06 PM | Updated: 4:22 pm
Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks throws the ball during pregame warm-ups before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. (Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
(Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
Russell Wilson looked like Russell Wilson last week against San Francisco in the Seahawks’ 30-23 win.
Carroll: Hawks’ run game, Wilson’s improvement, losing Adams
He completed 30 of 37 passes for 231 yards. Were it not for red zone turnovers, he could have put more than 40 points on the scoreboard. As it turned out, he put up 23 of the 30 points scored against the 49ers.
On Thursday, Wilson made the biggest statement of the season. He said waiving the no-trade cause was a non-issue. He said he wanted to complete his contract, which runs through 2023. Even better, he said he’d like to stay here 20 years. Wilson said he loves this city.
Despite the statement, national NFL reporters will still keep bringing up the idea what Wilson wants out and could be traded. In 50 years of covering this league, the Wilson trade story is the most ridiculous story I’ve ever covered. Wilson never asked to be traded. He did state he was tired of being hit so many times, which is understandable. That happened right after the Super Bowl. Every day reporters keep bringing it up.
It never made sense. Trading Wilson, a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback, would make the Seahawks a four-, five- or six-win team for years. I don’t about the number of draft choices they would acquire. This is a quarterback-driven league and it would take years to find a good quarterback to replace him. The better option is to make him happy with players to make this team better.
You saw what happened when he suffered the middle finger injury. The team lost games. When he came back for three games he wasn’t the same old Russell Wilson. That dropped the Seahawks to a 4-8 team.
Now that he’s bounced back, we’ll see how the Seahawks finish the season. They have an easy game this week against the Houston Texans. The Texans are one of the worst teams in the NFL. They are going to go with a rookie quarterback in Davis Mills. They don’t have much on offense. Their offensive line is a problem. They don’t have a lot of offensive weapons. They keep getting rid of big contracts on defense that was negotiated by former head coach Bill O’Brien.
For this game, the Seahawks will be thin on the offensive line. Brandon Shell and Kyle Fuller won’t play. They will have Alex Collins back at running back and need more production for Rashaad Penny. Adrian Peterson is banged up and won’t be able to play.
Hawks Injuries: Diggs questionable but will play, Shell ruled out
The key is getting the win in Houston and coming out healthy. But the best thing this week is what Wilson said about his future and how he wants to stay in Seattle.
Follow John Clayton on Twitter.
