Carroll: Wilson drama is 'old news' for Seahawks

Pete Carroll believes that the drama surrounding quarterback Russell Wilson is in the past.

The Seattle Seahawks head coach downplayed any friction between Wilson and the franchise in an interview Friday on the "Rich Eisen Show."

"It seems like really old news to talk about this because it's been such a long time," Carroll said, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com. "The little bit he said carried so much air time that it became bigger than life. Throughout the whole process, Russell, we've always been connected. We've always been talking. ... He was frustrated when he was talking, just like any of us can sometimes emphasize something that's on the top of our mind, and it can be played differently than it really played itself out."

It appeared that Wilson might be on his way out of Seattle after the signal-caller voiced his frustration with the Seahawks in February. The 32-year-old publicly noted his displeasure with being hit too much as well as the club's slow response to bolstering its offensive line.

Wilson denied requesting a trade, but his agent listed four teams the passer would waive his no-trade clause for: the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears.

The Seahawks declined offers for their franchise quarterback and opted to remain silent on the matter as rumors circulated about a possible split.

"We've had a really good offseason of working, and there was an ongoing media discussion that I did not take part in, John (Schneider) and I did not, we refused to be party to that, and Russ did what he could once he saw it happening, to stay as quiet as he could because it was going to play and have a life of its own anyway," said Carroll.

"What it amounted to was I think a refocusing, making sure that we were on the same page, making sure that we were clear so that we could withstand any of the scrutiny that would come towards us, and we did that."

The 2021 season will mark Wilson's 10th campaign in Seattle. Over nine seasons, he's compiled a record of 98-45-1 as a starter and has not missed a game since entering the league in 2012.

Carroll said Wilson is "fired up about his team, he's fired up about his coaching staff, he's fired up about the season."