Russell Wilson interview: Offseason issues 'blown out of proportion'
The Seattle Seahawks practice on the shores of Lake Washington, which provides Russell Wilson the opportunity to beat the I-405 traffic in a unique way.
"Yeah, I bring the boat over," the Pro Bowl quarterback told FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews during an interview at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center before the Seahawks’ NFC West showdown with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night (8:20 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).
"I pull up right here, right next to right where we’re sitting and dock up right here."
Russell Wilson on how Pete Carroll helped him decide to return to Seattle
While Wilson’s short voyage to the team’s practice facility in Renton, Washington, can be a smooth trip, the 10-year veteran’s latest offseason in Seattle was anything but tranquil.
Following Seattle’s NFC wild-card loss to the Rams in January, reports surfaced that Wilson might want to end his tenure with the team he has taken to four NFC West titles, two NFC crowns and a Super Bowl XLVIII championship. Things reached a fever pitch when Wilson’s agent reportedly gave the team a list of four teams to which he would accept a trade.
Now four weeks into the 2021 season, Wilson says he and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll are on the same page about how the team moves forward.
"It's the whole process, and I think things get kind of blown out of proportion a little bit, and teams were saying that I requested a trade," Wilson said. "So it kinda got a little confused. Coach and I spent a lot of time together … just talking life, talking ball, talking about where we both want to go and what we want to do.
"The amazing part about it all – we both want to go to the same place, and I think for us, we know that’s what we want to do, and what we’re committed to and that’s what we’re focused on."
Naturally, winning is the key ingredient to getting Wilson and the Seahawks (2-2) where they want to go. Knocking off the San Francisco 49ers 28-21 on Sunday was "huge for us," Wilson told Andrews.
"We needed it and we had to respond," Wilson said. "... I think going to San Francisco … And us being able to pull it off in the end and come up with two big touchdowns and make some plays. It was really great."
Wilson completed 69.6% of his passes for 149 yards, two touchdowns (including a highlight reel throw after escaping pressure) and a passer rating of 116.0, adding 26 yards and a TD on the ground.
And not only did the victory over San Francisco prevent Wilson from losing a third straight game – which would have been a first in his NFL career – it put him in the 100-win club.
The postseason is still a long way off, but at 2-2 in the hyper-competitive NFC West, Wilson and the Seahawks have a single priority this season.
"The reality is that we want to win, we want to win it all," the 32-year-old Wilson said. "We’re not thinking restarter – we have a great football team. … We have a chance. We have a great chance to do it. That’s kind of where my head has been at the whole time, and I am just staying focused on that."
After a stormy offseason, the waters in Seattle have calmed considerably.
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