Russell Wilson Rumors: Seahawks Teammates Felt QB 'Checked Out' Last Season

Some Seattle Seahawks teammates reportedly felt quarterback Russell Wilson "checked out" during the 2021 NFL season.

Michael-Shawn Dugar, Jayson Jenks and Mike Sando of The Athletic reported it was one of many issues that led to Wilson's trade to the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, which they described as a "divorce in which both sides contributed to the dissolution:"

"Wilson felt the team's personnel misses and devotion to [head coach Pete] Carroll's old-school offensive philosophy were holding him back and damaging his legacy. Carroll wasn't going to abandon the formula Wilson and the Seahawks had used to claim the only Super Bowl championship in franchise history. It was only a matter of time before this marriage ended."

If Wilson was checked out, it certainly didn't show up on the stat sheet.

The 33-year-old Ohio native completed 64.8 percent of his throws for 3,113 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions across 14 appearances. Those strong numbers came despite a few lackluster outings when he returned from a finger injury in mid-November.

Wilson received a solid 73.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and ranked 10th in ESPN's Total QBR (54.7) for the 2021 campaign.

The nine-time Pro Bowl selection remains one of the NFL's top quarterbacks, and he'll leave a massive void the Seahawks must now fill.

They did receive fellow signal-caller Drew Lock as part of the blockbuster deal, but he's recorded 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions across 24 career games and lost his starting job to Teddy Bridgewater last year. It's unlikely he's the long-term solution.

Nevertheless, Seattle felt compelled to make the franchise-altering move because it was "weary of the drama and subterfuge" around Wilson and grew "frustrated with the stream of leaks" from the QB's side about his unhappiness, according to The Athletic report.

"I don't think there's any trust," a source close to Wilson told The Athletic.

Clearly the Seahawks felt the situation was a detriment to the team because Wilson is under contract through 2023, so there wasn't any pressure from that perspective to move him.

Trade talks for Wilson were likely affected by the similar noises of discontent between the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers over the past few years, but Rodgers announced Tuesday he'll remain in Green Bay for at least another year.

Ultimately, the Seahawks did receive a haul of draft picks to help accelerate the roster reconstruction without Wilson, but the short-term outlook took a serious hit, and the path back toward contention will have a major hurdle until a new answer is found under center.