What was Pete Carroll’s role in Russell Wilson’s negotiations with Seahawks?

At this point in Russell Wilson’s career, you would be hard-pressed to find somebody who knows him better than Pete Carroll, the only head coach Wilson has had in his seven years with the Seahawks.

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So when Wilson and his agent, Mark Rodgers, were negotiating his recent $140 million extension, Carroll was there to help Wilson along.

“I talked to Russell a lot during the process to help him through it,” Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock and Salk on Thursday when asked about his role during negotiations. “Help him try to understand what the messages and the signals mean and the patience that it takes. Trying to keep the spirit of holding on, that it’s going to work out, it’s going to be a good deal. Just keep fighting and stay in there and don’t pass judgment too soon. All those kinds of things that I think were necessary along the process.”

Carroll was thankful the Seahawks and Wilson made it through that process without their relationship being worse for wear.

“It was a long process, a lot of conversation, a lot of talking and we made it through it with a really clear kind of outlook,” he said. “We didn’t damage any of the relationships during the process or any of that, which can happen sometimes. We made it through and came out strong and we’re very grateful obviously that it’s worked out.”

Carroll added that he is happy about what Wilson’s new deal represents.

“It’s emotional in respect that we have made a statement, as has Russ, to the future involvement and commitment to this program, to our fans and to the following and all that. I think that’s a really big deal. I don’t think it’s the ‘teary’ emotional part as much as it is really from the heart that we’ve joined, we’ve partnered in this movement to try to create something in a big way for our fans and for the owner, the following and all that kind of stuff, and I really like that feel. I like that commitment.”

But now that Wilson is once again under a long-term contract with the Seahawks, Carroll said it is no time to take the pedal off the gas.

“We have to support him with really, really high expectations. I’m not letting him down. I’m gonna kick his butt every chance we get to keep him on his game and keep him right and keep him pushing, just because he that’s what he wants and that’s what he expects. And so I’m not gonna let him down.”

Carroll’s take on the Frank Clark trade

While the Seahawks worked out a way to keep Wilson in Seattle, another star player, defensive end Frank Clark, was instead traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Carroll shared his thoughts Seattle’s decision to trade Clark rather than working out a long-term deal to keep him.

“It was unfortunate that we weren’t able to figure it out, and it really wasn’t because we didn’t try or he didn’t try or any of that,” Carroll said. “The times just kind of kept moving and the money kept going and it just kind of got too far out there, you know. Frank deserves what he got, he played to that, and so happy for him and thrilled for him. Hate that we had to part ways because he liked it here and we liked him here.”

You can listen to the full Carroll interview from Brock and Salk in the player embedded in this post or download a podcast of it at this link.

For more from coverage from Carroll’s interview, check out this story:

Carroll on how Seahawks will rely on rookies, growth of 2nd-year players

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