Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett Treating Matchup With Russell Wilson, Broncos as 'Just Another Game'
RENTON, Wash. - Over the past seven seasons, few quarterback/receiver duos have been more productive and orchestrated more highlight reel connections than Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett. During that span, the two combined to hook up 440 times for 6,016 yards and 45 touchdowns, torching opposing secondaries to a crisp and making the impossible look conventional on a frequent basis.
Next Monday night, however, while Lockett and Wilson will share the field once again, they will be doing so playing as foes for the first time and there won't be a chance to further pad those outstanding numbers. Such an emotional situation can be difficult for players to downplay or avoid distractions, but as the Seahawks prepare to host the Broncos, the veteran wideout plans to treat the prime time matchup as if it is just an ordinary regular season game.
"I mean, you've got emotion because it's the first game," Lockett said with a big smile on his face speaking with reporters on Tuesday. "But you gotta be able to learn how to control everything because there's so many stories and there's so many things that can get talked about and at the end of the day, you just gotta be able to simplify everything and just understand it's another game. You don't want to make games bigger than what they really are."
Nearly five months after Seattle shocked the football world by dealing Wilson to Denver for a boatload of draft picks and three veteran players in March, it's easy to see why Lockett would want to downplay the significance of Monday's game. But aside from the NFC Championship games that ultimately clinched Super Bowl berths in 2013 and 2014, this season opener may be the biggest game in franchise history and emotions will be running high for everyone involved.
When asked how he thinks Wilson will be received at Lumen Field, Lockett said he has "no idea" what to expect when his friend returns to his old stomping grounds next week wearing orange and navy and tossing the pigskin on the other sideline in warmups.
If booing of the star quarterback when he appeared in a tribute video for retiring WNBA superstar Sue Bird at Climate Pledge Arena last month is any indication, Wilson may very well be in for a rude homecoming to kick off his Broncos career in one of the loudest environments in professional sports. To an extent, he has to be expecting such a reaction given the ugly nature of his exit.
Citing his own personal issues with players from his favorite NBA team departing, Lockett understands what fans are going through seeing a legend of Wilson's magnitude depart. But while the iconic quarterback will be extremely difficult to replace, he hopes the boo birds won't be too prevalent and fans will give the franchise icon, even while wearing a different uniform, a warm reception on Monday night.
"At the end of the day, I get it. It's football, it's competitive," said Lockett, who was named a team captain for the first time on Monday, replacing Wilson as Seattle's offensive representative. "You never want to see people leave, but you've got to understand that everybody has to do what's best for them, and that's what you have to be able to understand about this life is you have to cheer people on. You can't get mad that people go to another team and this, this and this. We're fans, right? So we learn it the hard way."
Considering everything Wilson accomplished on the field with the Seahawks, including earning nine Pro Bowl selections and leading the franchise to their first Super Bowl victory, along with his excellence off the field building a charter school, visiting patients every Tuesday at Seattle Children's Hospital, and receiving the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, Lockett believes the star quarterback deserves to be celebrated rather than chastised by the 12s.
For his part, Lockett won't be letting the departure impact the friendship built over the past seven years or sway how he views Wilson as a man. When they see each other on Monday, he expects they will embrace one another in pregame warmups before shifting their respective focuses back to helping their team open the season with a victory.
Once it's time for the opening kickoff and competitive juices start flowing, all bets are off and the volume from the stands will surely be turned up aiming to take Wilson and the Broncos out of their comfort zone. But it's safe to say Lockett would like to see fans roll out the red carpet and dish out plenty of cheers before the game and pay respects to a player who has done so much for the organization and community.
"I can't control what anybody else says or what anybody else does. But I know that when I see him, I'll go give him a hug, talk to him... wish him good luck not only in this game but for the rest of this season and for the rest of his career as we continue to talk outside of football and stuff like that."
