Pete Carroll Credits Russell Wilson for Long Coaching Career with Seahawks

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll believes he wouldn't still be coaching in Seattle if it wasn't for star quarterback Russell Wilson. 

"Let's say it this way: I've been here a long time, and if we didn't have Russell, I probably wouldn't have been here a long time," Carroll said after Monday's 13-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. 

He added: "Think of all the magic that he's created in the years. He's got numbers and stats and fourth-quarter thises and thats, and all that stuff. One of the winningest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. It'll be really fun when he comes back and plays football again for us this year. We owe a tremendous amount. You can see how hard it is. All of these games, the Rams game…the Steelers and this one, Russell's a factor. He's a fantastic, positive factor and always has been, and those were exactly his time. That's his time. That's when he shines. So, we miss him. In the meantime, we're going to keep fighting and clawing and doing everything we can."

Wilson took over as the Seahawks' starting quarterback in 2012, and Seattle has an impressive record since he took over, going 100-48-1. 

In his first two seasons as head coach of the Seahawks, Carroll went 14-18. In Wilson's second and third seasons, the Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl. However, they haven't come close to reaching those heights since. 

The Seahawks have lost their last two games with Wilson sidelined due to a finger injury, furthering Carroll's point that the veteran has significantly impacted his career.

Backup quarterback Geno Smith has been unimpressive in those games, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for just 376 yards and two touchdowns. 

Wilson is on injured reserve, and it's unclear when he might return. However, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo recently reported that the pin inserted in Wilson's finger could be removed within the next week, which is a good sign. 

Seattle is 2-5 on the season, good enough for last in the NFC West. It's unlikely the Seahawks will make the playoffs this season with the way the Arizona Cardinals (7-0) and Los Angeles Rams (6-1) are playing. Seattle hasn't missed the playoffs since the 2017 season and hasn't had a losing season since 2011.