NFL insider recalls interview with Russell Wilson where QB didn’t deny trade interest

The future of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been the subject of much discussion. It was revealed that the Seahawks star did not officially request a trade away from Seattle last year, but he does have a no-trade clause written into his contract, allowing him to choose where he wants to go should a suitor come forward.

Wilson ended up staying in Seattle for this season but the team finished at the bottom of its division with a 7-10 record, with their star quarterback missing time due to a finger injury.

NFL Insider Dan Patrick was on the Rich Eisen Show on Monday and recalled an interview he did with the Seahawks quarterback last season and was surprised that Wilson did not deny reports of him wanting to be traded. He also said that the star quarterback was thinking about his football legacy at the time.

“I think he's looking at now, now. It's my legacy," Patrick said. "I've been in two, I've won one. I’m watching Mahomes, he ain’t going away. Brady's probably not going away. Brady got to pick a roster. What am I doing in Seattle, playing in games where it's you know, 19 to 13 with two minutes to go where they want me to win the game? Let me go and have some fun."

Patrick then revealed that he brought up a stat that showed Wilson had been sacked an average of 43 times a season and the quarterback opened the door to a potential trade.

"And I think because of that weekend, and I even said to him, I said ‘man, you looked miserable.' Because he did. And then all of a sudden, I brought up this stat, I said, ‘Man, I was looking that you've been sacked on an average of 43 times per year.’ And he's like, and then all of a sudden he opened the door. And Russell Wilson doesn't open the door when you interview him," Patrick said.

"It's really rare. And all of a sudden, I caught myself saying ‘wait, do you want to be traded?’ And he goes well, ‘I don't know.’ And I went Okay, now we’re having an interview, it’s a conversation, now it got real.”

Could Wilson move on from Seattle?

It is no secret that Russell Wilson wanted more input into what goes on with the team, particularly with personnel being brought in. He was frustrated at being hit so much during the season and wanted input into who the Seahawks would be targeting.

He has never asked for a trade away from the organization, but he has not denied it or shut the speculation down. Just what a team would give up to secure his services and what Seattle would want remains to be seen.

It is hard to imagine Seattle's Wilson donning the colors of another team, but we did think the same when Tom Brady swapped New England for Tampa Bay.

Seattle would not want to lose its franchise quarterback, but the first order of business is getting him the right protection along the offensive line. If they do not, then Russell might be forced to look elsewhere for a new team in 2022.