A new report has shed additional light on both Russell Wilson's fraught exit from Seattle and his tumultuous first year in Denver.
According to Kalyn Kahler, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic, Wilson lobbied Seahawks ownership to fire longtime head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider last offseason, before Wilson was eventually traded to the Broncos.
The report also said Wilson's "preferred replacement" for Carroll was former Saints head coach Sean Payton, who was hired by the Broncos earlier this month. Denver was seeking a long-term successor to former head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired after just 15 games in which the team went a disappointing 4-11.
Wilson promptly took to social media early on Friday morning to deny the bombshell report.
"I love Pete and he was a father figure to me and John believed in me and drafted me as well," Wilson said. "I never wanted them fired. All any of us wanted was to win."
Wilson was ultimately dealt to the Broncos in a blockbuster swap that sent a boatload of players and draft picks back to Seattle. The split seemed to be years in the making after it was widely reported that Wilson wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with Carroll and Schneider about roster construction and the team's overall direction and philosophy.
After winning a Super Bowl and earning nine Pro Bowl nods with Carroll in Seattle, the 34-year-old Wilson struggled mightily in his first year in Denver. Hackett was dismissed and Payton brought on board, in part, to get Wilson back on track.
The Athletic report also detailed apparent off-field issues for the Broncos involving Wilson, including weekly private meetings he held with the offense, his own office separate from the locker room at Mile High Stadium, and personal staff members he was allowed to bring into team facilities.
At his introductory press conference, Payton seemed to suggest Wilson would no longer have his own personal staffers, specifically quarterback coach Jake Heaps.
"That's not going to take place," Payton said. "I'm unfamiliar with it. Our staff will be here, our players will be here, and that will be it."
Wilson's apparent friction with teammates was previously rumored. In October it was reported he had irked players on a team flight to London by working out and stretching for roughly four hours during the eight-hour flight. About a month later, it was reported only about half of the Broncos' player showed up for Wilson's birthday party.
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