Russell Wilson Shares 'Hope & Goal' to Remain with Seahawks
The Denver Broncos are nearly finished building the new coaching staff under Nathaniel Hackett so fans should expect even more intense quarterback speculation to dominate the offseason news cycle. If GM George Paton’s Plan A is Aaron Rodgers, then his Plan B option is most likely Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson.
But either option will cost Denver an arm and a leg to acquire.
Rodgers' recent comments after winning his fourth NFL MVP award are open to interpretation. Meanwhile, Wilson has been the subject of much speculation.
Will he force his way out of Seattle? Since Pete Carroll was retained as head coach, is that a sign that the Seahawks don't plan to blow it all up and will keep the Super Bowl XLVIII band together?
Wilson’s future plans appear a lot clearer after he checked in with The Athletic's Mike Dugar during Super Bowl weekend.
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to play 10 amazing years in Seattle,” Wilson told Dugar. “My hope and goal is to be back there and keep winning there. That’s the vision, that’s the goal. That’s always been it. It’s never really been anything different.”
Where Wilson and Rodgers have found common ground is in displaying a great deal of affection and respect to the organizations that helped make them a superstar. Somewhat more cynically, we're still in the early offseason stages where all parties involved are towing the status-quo line.
Therefore, it’s best to assume Wilson is at least partly speaking from the heart and keeping things diplomatic for now. That being said, when he was pushed about whether he would stay in Seattle if things could be worked out, the nine-time Pro Bowler had a fairly definitive answer.
“Oh yeah. To win more there, that’d be—I want to win three more Super Bowls,” Wilson said. “That’s my focus, is to get back and win again and for us to overcome all the obstacles. There’s nothing more fun than that.”
Wilson is still only 33 years old, so he's probably more likely to stay the course with the Seahawks if the team seriously commits to putting more pieces around him moving forward. He did miss significant time last season due to a thumb injury, but over the course of the decade in the league, he has proved to be hugely durable and massively productive.
While Wilson’s comments might indicate he is more willing to recommit to a longer-term relationship with the Seahawks, he has also been comfortable enough to let a list of potential new teams he'd open to joining leak out to the media before.
On account of the inescapable reality that the Broncos are still a franchise quarterback away from being a contender, fans can fully expect Paton to be undeterred by Wilson’s most recent good vibes towards Seattle.
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