Russell Wilson doesn't sound too interested in riding the quarterback carousel this offseason. He told reporters on Thursday that any rumors of him intending to waive his no-trade clause are a "non-story," as he wants to play out the final two years left on his deal with the Seattle Seahawks and stick around longer.
Of course, there's no guarantee that Wilson stays true to his word. The seven-time Pro Bowler's long-term future with the Seahawks was questioned during the spring, and he was forced to downplay speculation following an interview with The Dan Patrick Show. The reality is, Seattle currently owns the second-worst record in the NFC, and a rebuild of some sort seems inevitable.
"Wilson always wants to look like the good guy. He doesn't want to look like the bad guy," JR said during the JR SportBrief show on Thursday. "It's like he wrote down four notes he wanted to hit by the time he got to the podium. Maybe he got the help of a publicist. 'I love where the team is at.' Do you? You're 4-8. 'Well, we can do better.' Of course you can. Stop talking the talk.
"Say something that actually has substance. Deny the report, keep it moving. Oh, I forgot, he already denied the report from earlier this year. And what has happened that makes anybody think his mind has changed? His own agent came out and said such earlier this year. Why should we believe anything is different now, especially as the team is pretty much in a tailspin?..."
Wilson, who turned 33 in late November, hasn't performed at an MVP-caliber level in his 10th season with the Seahawks. He's played in nine of 12 games -- he recently missed three due to a finger injury -- and owns a 67.2 completion percentage with 2,042 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Wilson doesn't deserve all the blame for the team's woes. He's been sacked 172 times since the start of 2018, the consequences of poor offensive lines.
Seattle (4-8) will visit the inferior Houston Texans (2-10) in a Week 14 matchup on Sunday afternoon. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Seahawks currently have just a 3-percent chance to reach the playoffs. If Wilson waives his no-trade clause and requests to be moved in 2022, interested suitors will need to seriously evaluate their cap situations. Why? Wilson carries a hefty cap hit of $37 million next season and $38 million in 2023, per Spotrac.com.
JR's complete thoughts on Wilson and the Seahawks can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.