NFL Fans Are Convinced Pete Carroll Knew Russell Wilson Was Washed Before Seahawks Traded QB

Back in March, the Seahawks and the Broncos agreed to a fairly surprising trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver in exchange for Drew Lock, Shelby Harris, and a handful of draft picks in a deal that many NFL fans viewed as an absolute steal for the franchise that ended up with the longtime Seattle quarterback.

The Seahawks eventually re-signed Geno Smith to give themselves a bit more depth at QB. However, heading into the season, you would’ve been hard-pressed to find anyone who thought they’d have an edge over the Broncos at that particular position.

Well, it’s safe to say things haven’t exactly unfolded as expected.

The Seahawks may be 2-2, but the perennial backup who now serves as their starter has more than held his own; on Thursday, Smith took a bit of a victory lap during a press conference shortly after winning Offensive Player of the Week honors and seems to be overflowing with confidence.

Wilson, on the other hand, found himself at the center of even more criticism than he’s already been subjected to this season following a fairly disastrous showing in a Thursday Night Football contest with the Colts that was widely viewed as one of the worst NFL games in recent memory.

That showdown was just one of multiple contests this year where Mr. Unlimited received the chance to cook only to produce a virtually inedible dish—and plenty of people seem to think there’s one major player who saw it coming: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

NFL fans think Pete Carroll sold the Broncos a “lemon” and traded Russell Wilson because he knew the QB’s best days were behind him

There aren’t many people out there who’d have a better read on Wilson’s trajectory than the man who spent nine years coaching the quarterback in Seattle, and after seeing the latest batch of evidence highlighting his precipitous decline since joining the Broncos, a ton of people speculated Carroll and the Seahawks opted to trade him because they saw the dropoff on the immediate horizon.

That includes plenty of fans who compared the head coach to a used car salesman who knowingly sold Denver a “lemon” in the offseason.

https://twitter.com/STStarr91/status/1578379239442841600

Others suggested this season is proof that Carroll deserves more credit than he was given when Wilson was still with the Seahawks and hit the latter with the dreaded “System QB” label.

https://twitter.com/traerodgers_/status/1578216656706363399

https://twitter.com/iam_johnw/status/1578236147779915776

You hate to see it.