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Brady HendersonESPN
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on Wednesday said the team has “no intention” of trading star quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason.
But in his first comments to the media at large since the Seahawks’ disappointing 7-10 season, Carroll again stopped short of shooting down the possibility entirely.
“At this time of year, there’s conversations about everybody,” Carroll said when asked at the NFL scouting combine about trade offers or inquiries for Wilson. “We’re talking about everybody. And that’s commonplace for us to have conversations with teams about all of the players — particularly marquee players — and that’s not changed. It’s been the same every year we’ve been here. So it’s the same as it’s been.
“We have no intention of making any move there, but the conversations, [general manager John Schneider] has to field those. He always has. But nothing specific to that.”
Speaking afterward to reporters off podium, Carroll said Schneider’s standard response to teams that have inquired about Wilson is that the Seahawks aren’t shopping their quarterback, according to The News Tribune.
During his 20-minute podium session, Carroll said he wasn’t surprised by all the speculation over Wilson’s future, “because last year, it was out there like twice as much.”
Wilson publicly vented his frustrations with the organization last February, leading to several weeks of tension between the two sides and trade talks with the Chicago Bears.
“It’s the quarterback world right now,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “They’re talking about all of them. You guys are trying to do everything you can to try to figure it out. That’s what you’ve got to do. So there’s a lot of people taking shots, a lot of lines in the water right now trying to guess and see what happens.”
After the season, Carroll’s comments to FOX 13 in Seattle strongly hinted that the team would listen to trade offers for Wilson.
Wilson, 33, had the most trying season of his 10-year NFL career in 2021. He missed three games with an injured finger on his throwing hand and struggled with his accuracy upon his return from surgery. By the time he regained his usual form near the end of the season, the Seahawks were well out of playoff contention.
Wilson, who has a no-trade clause, has repeatedly said that he hopes to stay in Seattle. He has two years and $51 million remaining on the four-year, $140 million extension he signed in 2019.
Carroll gave a conflicting answer when asked about linebacker Bobby Wagner, who has been another franchise cornerstone since he and Wilson were drafted together in 2012.
Wilson, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, is scheduled to count $20.35 million in the final year of his three-year, $54 million extension.
“We expect to play with Bobby,” Carroll said. “We love playing with Bobby. He’s been a great player, had another great season. At this time of the year, there’s a lot of guys that are in a position where we’ve got to figure out where everybody fits together. Bobby’s been such a steady part of it and we’d love to be able to play with him, so we’ll work towards that. If we can do that, we’ll do it.”
Carroll said the Seahawks also want to bring back free safety Quandre Diggs, who is an unrestricted free agent. The Seahawks have the franchise tag at their disposal but have used it only twice in 12 seasons under Carroll and Schneider.
The deadline to apply the franchise tag is March 8.
Diggs had five interceptions before suffering a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in the regular-season finale. The injuries kept him from playing in the Pro Bowl after making it for the second year in a row.
Carroll said he didn’t have “any doubt” that Diggs would be back on the field by training camp.
“That’s all he’s thinking about,” Carroll said. “He’ll be back before then, I would think. … We really want to get him back.”