Russell Wilson Trade Rumors: Seahawks Listening, Not Reciprocating Calls for QB

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

Trade rumors surrounding Russell Wilson may be gaining a little smoke.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Seahawks are "listening" when teams call about potential trades but are yet to reciprocate interest. While it remains highly unlikely that Wilson is traded before the 2021 season, the fact that the Seahawks have not been hanging up the phone is a sign that it's possible Wilson's time in Seattle is running down.

Tension between Wilson and the Seahawks stems from what the quarterback deems a lack of help on the offensive line and schematic disagreements. The Pro Bowler went public with his frustrations about being hit too much in February.

"Like any player, you never want to get hit," Wilson told reporters. "That's the reality of playing this position; ask any quarterback who wants to play this game. But at the same time, it's part of the job and everything else. I think that the reality is that I've definitely been hit. I've been sacked almost 400 times, so we've got to get better. I've got to find ways to get better too."

Wilson also expressed a desire to be involved in personnel decisions. He noted stars like Tom Brady and LeBron James are consulted when their teams make moves, and he hasn't felt the same level of two-way trust from the Seahawks.

Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic reported a story in February that said there is a battle of "power and control" ongoing between Wilson and coach Pete Carroll. The quarterback feels as if the offense is not opened up enough to allow him to put up MVP-type numbers, while Carroll prefers to use the run game to control the tempo of the game.

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Carroll even expressed a desire to get more consistency from the run game after the Seahawks were eliminated from the playoffs. 

While the Wilson-Carroll relationship has been the most fruitful in Seahawks franchise history, the line in the sand will only get deeper if the coach doesn't cede some control over to his star. Otherwise, the tensions might overflow into a Deshaun Watson-level trade demand.