Russell Wilson knows he is Seattle's franchise quarterback, and after expressing a desire to offer input on personnel decisions Tuesday, he elaborated further with a focus on one key position group: the offensive line.
When asked if he was frustrated with the talent surrounding him in recent years, Wilson looked directly at his frequency of being hit by opposing defenders. The Seahawks can improve in that department, he said.
"I love playing for the (Seahawks), I've loved it for years and lay it on the line every game and I'm dedicated to that," Wilson said, via the Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar. "Trying to do that every day I can. The reality is that I think it's frustrating being there and watching the game and sitting there. Part of it, like any player, you never want to get hit, that's the reality of playing this position, ask any quarterback who wants to play this game. At the same time, it's part of the job.
"I've definitely been hit -- I've been sacked almost 400 times. We got to get better. I got to find ways to get better, too. Just continue to try and find that. As we continue to go along the process and I think about my career wand what I want to be able to do, it always starts up front, offensively and defensively. It always does. I'm grateful for the time I've been able to put in every day to the process. I love this game. I came to play this game to win championships."
When asked if he's frustrated with the Seahawks, Wilson responded "I'm frustrated with getting hit too much," per ESPN.com.
Wilson was sacked the third most of any qualifying quarterback in the NFL this season, going down 47 times for a total loss of 301 yards. After a white-hot start to the 2020 season thanks to the passing accomplishments of Wilson, the Seahawks declined offensively. It came to an ugly head in the playoffs, when Wilson completed just 11 of 27 passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 30-20 wild-card loss to the Rams.
In that loss, Wilson was sacked five times.
"If you ask me about the trust factor of it all, I've always put my trust in the Seahawks trying to do whatever it takes to win," Wilson said. "Hopefully that will continue. That's a key part. Part of that is how we go about the protection part of it and figuring those little things out like that."
Seattle has demonstrated it is unafraid of making a significant move to improve up front. The Seahawks swung a deal to acquire veteran tackle Duane Brown in 2017, replacing starter George Fant, who was lost to a season-ending ACL injury in August of that season. Brown remains with the team, but at 35 years old and in the final year of his contract, he doesn't appear to be long for Seattle. That means the Seahawks will have to find a way to improve up front at tackle and elsewhere without a first-round pick, having shipped theirs to New York for safety Jamal Adams last summer.
Free agency opens in March. We'll see if Wilson has his wish granted -- and how involved he might end up being in the process.
