SEATTLE — During his introductory press conference with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson directly contradicted statements by the Seahawks' top brass that he alone initiated a desire to be traded.
Wilson told reporters that the decision to trade him was "mutual."
Seahawks owner Jody Allen, General Manager John Schneider and Head Coach Pete Carroll all released statements that clearly indicated Wilson first expressed a desire to move on from Seattle.
Carroll said during the NFL combine in early March that the organization had "no intention" of trading the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
“That’s commonplace for us to have conversations with teams about all of the players, particularly marquee players, and that’s not changed,” Carroll said on the podium at the combine. “It’s been the same every year we’ve been here so it’s the same as it’s been. We have no intention of making any move there.”
However, Wilson offered a different perspective when asked by reporters about the statements from the Seahawks' decision-makers.
"I didn't initiate it, it was definitely mutual," Wilson said Wednesday. "Along the way, there's definitely been a lot of conversations. It hasn't been 'I initiated anything.'
"It is what it is, I'm happy to be here, that's all I know. Obviously I'm happy about the 10 years I've had, but I think, we'll have to read about it later, we'll have some fun with my book one day, we'll have some good stories."
With the NFL league year beginning Wednesday, the blockbuster transaction finally became official after being reported by multiple outlets on March 8.
Today's conflicting sentiments add a touch of awkwardness to Wilson's exit, but there clearly is plenty of mutual respect between the two sides.
Whether there was mutual interest in Wilson moving on from the Seahawks, on the other hand, appears to be up for dispute.