NFL analyst claims Russell Wilson wanted to replace Pete Carroll with Sean Payton in Seattle before Denver rendezvous
On Friday (February 24), news surfaced that Russell Wilson reportedly wanted Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider fired from the Seahawks around a year ago.
Per The Athletic, Wilson wanted the team to replace Carroll with Sean Payton. Wilson evidently wasn't granted those wishes, as he was traded to the Denver Broncos, and the team kept Carroll and Schneider.
Bombshell: Russell Wilson asked #Seahawks ownership to fire coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider last year, sources told @TheAthletic
The team instead traded him to the #Broncos
theathletic.com/4243182/2023/0… https://t.co/tLKOlQYFTX
Speaking with Colin Cowher on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, analyst Doug Gottlieb laid out Wilson's ultimatum that he gave Seattle. Gottlieb said:
"They stay, I go. I stay, they go. And ultimately it was. Pete Carroll winning, Schneider winning, and he's in Denver. The irony to it is or the interesting part about it, is that the coach that he apparently wanted is Sean Payton, who is now his coach in Denver."
Gottlieb added:
"The truth is, it wasn't like it was Russell Wilson that made Sean Payton want to coach in Denver. Matter of fact, it feels like, ‘yeah, I want to coach Russell Wilson, but he's going to have to do it my way, not the way he wants to do it."
Russell Wilson denies that he wanted Seahawks to fire Pete Carroll and John Schneider
When the news broke that Wilson wanted Schneider and Carroll fired, he quickly responded by denying the rumor. He tweeted that he loved Pete Carroll, terming him a 'father figure' and that he never wanted anyone in Seattle fired. He wrote:
"I love Pete, and he was a father figure to me, and John believed in me and drafted me as well. I never wanted them fired. All any of us wanted was to win. l’ll always have respect for them and love for Seattle."
I love Pete and he was a father figure to me and John believed in me and drafted me as well. I never wanted them fired. All any of us wanted was to win.
l’ll always have respect for them and love for Seattle.
Whether or not the rumors are true, the team eventually decided to part ways with Wilson in the off-season. He was traded to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster trade that sent Seattle two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, Shelby Harris, Noah Fant and Drew Lock.
Wilson and the Broncos struggled, finishing last season with a 5-12 record that was last in the AFC West. The Seahawks, though, were successful without Wilson. Led by Geno Smith, the team finished the season 9-8 and made the playoffs as a wildcard team.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Doug Gottlieb, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Russell Wilson, and H/T Sportskeeda