SEATTLE — The perceived deterioration of Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll's relationship was the subject of much reporting in the wake of the shocking trade of the longtime Seahawks franchise quarterback to the Denver Broncos in 2022. Wilson, however, spoke glowingly about his former head coach during an appearance on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast.
"I just wanted to celebrate him, because I thought that he gave me so much," Wilson told Brandon Marshall. "In the midst of everybody talking all this noise about me and Pete, we've always forever been connected. He was texting me throughout the season and everything else and letting me know, 'Hey I still believe in you' this and that 'Keep going' this and that, and vice versa.
"We've always had a good relationship. He was like a father figure for me. I never understood why people were trying to tear it down. To me, going back to see Pete was because of the love that was there."
Wilson revealed that within minutes of Carroll being let go by the Seahawks on the afternoon of Jan. 10, DK Metcalf called the quarterback to let him know. Wilson said he immediately decided to fly up from San Diego to get together with Carroll and many of his former Seahawks teammates. Wilson spoke fondly about first running into Carroll's wife, Glena, when he arrived at the dinner at Legion Sports Bar, which is co-owned by former Seahawks Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor.
"The first person I saw actually when I walk in was Glena, Pete's wife, and she starts bawling," Wilson said. "She's just like, 'What are you doing here? Oh my God,' and I give her a big hug."
Reports after the trade from The Athletic said Wilson approached Seahawks ownership and requested that Carroll and General Manager John Schneider both be fired in February 2022. When that was not agreed to, Wilson is said to have requested a trade.
Carroll and Schneider both danced around the report when asked about it at the NFL scouting combine, but Wilson came out and vehemently denied the report, saying on social media: "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," Wilson wrote. "I’ll always have respect for them and love for Seattle."
Wilson is at a crossroads with the Broncos now after two sub-par seasons by his standards in Denver. The quarterback was benched late in the 2023 regular season and Broncos head coach Sean Payton has all but said directly that the team intends to find a new signal-caller for 2024.
Carroll was reported to have expressed interest in the Los Angeles Chargers head coaching vacancy after his exit from the Seahawks but did not officially interview for any of the open head coach roles this offseason. The Seahawks have said repeatedly that they want Carroll to remain close to the organization in an advisory capacity of some kind.
There is some added incentive for Carroll to remain in the Seattle area, as his son Brennan is now the offensive coordinator at the University of Washington. Husky head coach Jedd Fisch, who also previously worked under Carroll on the Seahawks, said that he expects Carroll to spend some time around the program.
