The Denver Broncos will stampede into Seattle to take on the Seahawks on Monday night, and with them will be Russell Wilson, set to square off with his former team in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed his honest expectations for how the 12th man will receive Wilson in his return to Lumen Field amid reports that there is some animosity towards the QB from the fanbase. Via Curtis Crabtree, Carroll admitted that it'll be the fans who dictate how Wilson is treated, and he plans to follow their lead.
Pete Carroll on how he thinks Russell Wilson will be received by fans: "You're either competing or you're not. I'm leaving it up to the 12's. It's game time. … However they take it, I'll follow their lead."
— Curtis Crabtree (@Curtis_Crabtree) September 8, 2022
“You're either competing or you're not,” said Carroll. “I'm leaving it up to the 12's. It's game time… However they take it, I'll follow their lead.”
It would not be at all shocking if Seahawks fans booed Russell Wilson on Monday night, and it seems Carroll is prepared for that possibility. If that's the route fans wish to take, they'll have Carroll's support in doing so. While emotions will be running high, at the end of the day, Carroll is there to win a football game, not have a reunion with a former member of the Seahawks.
Wilson spent 10 seasons with the Seahawks, so it's bound to be a fervent return to Seattle on Monday night. The veteran won a Super Bowl with the team in 2013 (against the Broncos, no less) and was a nine-time Pro Bowler. He'll be determined to prove he made the right choice by requesting a trade from the organization and joining the Broncos, who subsequently signed him to a massive contract extension.
If fans do decide to boo Wilson, it's something the quarterback will have to live with. Carroll has no intention of dictating how Wilson is received by the 12th man, and he made that clear in his comments on Thursday.
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