It turns out that the frenzy around a potential Russell Wilson trade earlier this offseason was more smoke than fire, at least according to Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider.

Schneider revealed that while a number of teams called to inquire about the All-Pro QB's availability, Seattle never “actively” engaged with them:

The obvious question in the aftermath of Schneider's comments, however, is how much the GM is parsing his words. While it may be true that Seahawks didn't actually “negotiate” with another squad for the rights to Wilson — i.e., exchanging multiple trade offers — that doesn't necessarily preclude the possibility that the organization internally considered dealing the star quarterback had the right offer presented itself. There were certainly plenty of rumors out there about the Chicago Bears' pursuit of Wilson.

Though the situation in Seattle appears to have cooled off for the moment, the frenzied reporting near the start of the offseason was undoubtedly real and fed by Wilson's reported frustration with the team for failing to build an adequate offensive line to protect him. Since entering the NFL in 2012, the QB has never been sacked fewer than 33 times in a single season and has endured an astonishing 394 sacks over the past nine years.

Given Wilson's age — he will be 33 in November — and the potential for a damaging public standoff between the two sides, if the quarterback opted to hold out, it wouldn't be a surprise to learn that Schneider and the Seahawks would have been open to dealing Wilson had the right offer presented itself, despite his comments to the contrary Wednesday afternoon.

When listening to general managers speak on the record, what they don't say tends to be as important as what they do. We'll see what happens with Russell Wilson moving forward.