Pete Carroll ready to compete against Russell Wilson, Broncos in Seahawks season opener

RENTON, Wash. - Six months after he was traded to the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson will make his return to Seattle to face the Seahawks on Monday Night Football to open the 2022 season.

While much has been written and opined regarding the split of Wilson and the Seahawks this spring, the time has come for the game to finally be played with Wilson leading his new team back into Lumen Field on the opposing sidelines for the first time.

 "It's not gonna be anything different than it ever would be," head coach Pete Carroll said on Thursday. "Why would it be something different? You know, he's a terrific player. He's got to do his thing over there, just like all the guys we play. It's been a long time coming. It's not like we just changed uniforms last week. So we're in good shape and I'm not in any way expecting it to be anything different." 

Carroll may not believe it will be different, but there's no doubting that it is. Wilson had been Seattle's quarterback for 10 seasons until the two sides split with a trade in March that sent Wilson to Denver. The relationship between the two sides had been fraying for some time with Wilson wanting more put on his plate and Carroll committed to his belief of the best way to play winning football. While both entities burn to win, their thoughts on how to accomplish that no longer meshed together.

And with set to ask for another new contract after the upcoming season, Seattle made the decision to trade Wilson to get a big trade package in return from the Broncos, who have been seeking an answer at quarterback since the retirement of Peyton Manning following the 2015 season.

Wilson, in a Zoom call with Seattle reporters on Thursday, didn't speak much directly to the breakup between the two sides. Instead, he reflected on his decade in Seattle with fondness as he begins his new chapter in Denver.

 "I always dreamed of being there my whole career. That was always kind of my thought," Wilson said of Seattle. "I've always told you guys this Derek Jeter was my favorite athlete and everything else. … "Just knowing that life is going to change a bit. The time and energy I think you spend in something knowing that it's sometimes not forever, and it doesn't mean that it wasn't worthwhile, doesn't mean that every second... I wouldn't do something different. I gave everything that I had so I cherish every second of it.

"Just having the gratitude just to be able to play for 10 years under coach Carroll and the organization, just everybody. I cherish every moment of it and like I said, I was hoping that it would all work out and we'd be able to figure out all the details out and we weren't able to and didn't."

While the Seahawks are generally not expected to succeed this season following Wilson's departure, Carroll and the players in Seattle remain high on the team's potential. They brush away projections that they will be a middling a team this year and expect to compete with the best.

"A lot of people are going to be surprised by what we do this year," wide receiver DK Metcalf said Thursday.

Carroll was steadfast in his comments on Thursday that he wouldn't treat Wilson's return differently. He's said repeatedly through the years he views every game as a "championship opportunity" and doesn't want to make any game more meaningful than another. 

"I've never stood for anything other than competing. And so whatever it takes to get us in the right position to get done what we want to get it done is going to happen hopefully," Carroll said.

When asked about the reception he expects Wilson to get in his return to Seattle, Carroll said he'd leave that to fans decide.

"You're either competing or you're not," Carroll said. "I'm leaving up to the 12's. It's game time and we're going for it and so however they take it, I'll follow their lead on that. I mean, I'm not going to be involved with that kind of opportunity to react, you know, so I don't have to make that decision. We'll see what happens but I'll leave it up to the 12's. I think they'll know exactly what to do."

For Wilson, he's played in many primetime games in Seattle and knows the environment the stadium brings for big moments. He'll just be on the opposite sideline this time around.

"I was fortunate to play there for 10 years. I know they'll be rowdy. I know they'll be excited," Wilson said. "I know that it's Monday Night Football, so it'll be a special environment. Listen, I think I gave my heart and soul every day. I know nothing less. Hopefully it will be positive, but at the same time, at the end of the day, I know we've got a game to play."

The Seahawks signed long snapper Carson Tinker to their practice squad and released safety Scott Nelson. Additionally, running back Josh Johnson was waived from the injured reserve list with an injury settlement.

With starting long snapper Tyler Ott unable to practice on Thursday due to a shoulder injury, the addition of Tinker to the practice squad makes more sense.

Injury Updates:

– Safety Jamal Adams said he broke the fusion in one of his two surgically-repaired fingers during the first day of training camp. The injury led him to leave the team to get opinions from doctors before returning to camp.

"Everything's good. I'm ready to go. ... Been through it too long. I've been playing through it for three years," Adams said.

Adams said he routinely had his fingers dislocate throughout the last two seasons as he played through the injuries. He had surgery this offseason to fuse the joins together to put the issues behind him. His middle finger on his left hand got caught in a helmet on the first day of practice and broke again.

Adams has had to keep the fingers splinted the last two years and is wearing a similar attachment this year to protect them as best as he can.

"It's what I've got to do, man. It's part of the game," Adams said.

Adams didn't have surgery to fix the injury before the season and wouldn't say if it would need to be addressed again after the year is complete.

"We're focused on this game," Adams said. "We'll worry about that later."

– Running back Ken Walker III is making progress but did not participate in practice on Tursday. He's recovering from a hernia procedure last month following the preseason game in Pittsburgh. It still seems unlikely he'll be able to play Monday night.

"Man he looked good running yesterday and he was in walk-through today," Carroll said. "Seeing him workout close to a full-tilt yesterday, he reminds of the kind of athlete that he is. He’s very, very explosive and whether he makes it in time for game time the next couple days will tell us some more so I don’t know. It’s really important that we get him back and he stays back once we get him. In an usual recovery we just have to respect it, but he looked great."

– Defensive end Alton Robinson (knee) and cornerback Artie Burns (groin) join Ott and Walker as the two players unable to practice on Thursday.

 – Cornerback Sidney Jones IV was limited in practice on Thrusday as he recovers from a concussion, but he's on track to play.

"He’s doing everything. He’s doing everything. He’s full-go," Carroll said.

– Tackle Jake Curhan (elbow), guard Damien Lewis (knee/ankle), linebacker Boye Mafe (shoulder) and safety Ryan Neal (ankle) were limited.

Injury Report: