As Aaron Rodgers stays away from Packers, Russell Wilson leads Seahawks in voluntary OTAs
The Danny Etling-Alex McGough Era is over in Seattle.
Russell Wilson is back.
The Seahawks’ franchise quarterback shared hugs and handshakes with tight end Colby Parkinson and others in his first minutes on the practice field Tuesday. Wilson also talked at length with Shane Waldron. His new offensive coordinator in from the rival Los Angeles Rams is working closely with Wilson installing a new system in Seattle this spring.
Aaron Rodgers—the MVP to whom Wilson’s agent compares his client come contract time—is shaking the NFL by skipping his Packers’ mandatory minicamp in Green Bay. But in Seattle, following a winter of his stated frustration with getting hit too much then so much manufactured drama over rumored, potential trades, Wilson is where he’s been for the last nine years.
He and co-captain Bobby Wagner are leading the Seahawks onto the field this week for voluntary organized team activities.
“Just seeing Russ back out here, throwing the ball around with the team, I didn’t expect anything else,” wide receiver DK Metcalf said.
Metcalf, Wilson, Wagner and most Seahawks veterans stayed away from the first six OTAs. That was a concerted effort to minimize the importance and necessity of OTAs to the league.
But this week, to prepare for the only mandatory on-field work of the offseason June 15-17, most Seahawks veterans have been here for OTA days seven and eight. Seventy-six players were on the field for practice Monday, and The News Tribune counted 75 on Tuesday. That’s up from 40 mostly rookies and younger players in the first OTAs.
Metcalf said more veterans are coming in Wednesday and Thursday for the final two OTAs before next week’s mandatory minicamp in Renton.
“Just seeing Russ back out here, throwing the ball around with the team, I didn’t expect anything else,” Metcalf said.
Metcalf was back in his day job catching passes from Wilson following the receiver’s attention-grabbing cameo in professional track.
Last month he ran an impressive 10.36 seconds in the 100 meters at the USA Track & Field’s nationally televised Golden Games in California last month.
“My goal was to qualify for the (U.S.) Olympic Trials,” Metcalf said. “But who knows what my future holds.
“Right now I’m just focusing on football and OTAs.”
Asked his biggest takeaway from competing with the best sprinters in the country, among the best in the world, the Seahawk said: “That those are some fast human beings...
“And I’m going to stick to football.”
Sort of.
Monday, Major League Baseball announced Metcalf is playing in its celebrity softball game during All-Star Game festivities in Denver next month.
Metcalf hasn’t played organized baseball since T-ball back in his native Mississippi. Yet when asked whom he fancies himself after as a hitter, Metcalf said: “Hank Aaron.”
“You know, kind of subtle,” Metcalf said, wryly rubbing his chin, “but very good at his craft.”
So is Wilson.
Coming off a career-best 40 touchdown passes and his second consecutive 4,000-yard passing season—his 4,212 yards in 2020 were 7 short of his career high he set in 2016—Wilson has a lot of new to internalize this offseason. Waldron is installing his run-based, quicker-passing game with shorter routes designed to get the ball out of Wilson’s hands more quickly than predecessor Brian Schottenheimer’s deep-passing schemes did.
Yet Wilson and Seahawks veterans were among the first teams this spring to declare through their players’ union they were only participating in mandatory minicamp this offseason. That was after the league set the precedent of not having OTAs or any voluntary work at team facilities in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Players don’t want to risk injuries on the field in voluntary work during May and June, months before the season begins.
Seattle’s NFC West-rival San Francisco 49ers lost two players, offensive tackle Justin Skule and safety Tarvarius Moore, to major injuries at their OTAs Monday. Tuesday, the 49ers canceled the OTA practice.
But with vaccinations blunting the impact of COVID-19 across the U.S., NFL team owners wanted to return to the pre-pandemic normal of players dutifully participating in OTAs.
Coach Pete Carroll, Wilson and Wagner talked into May about ramping up veterans’ participation leading into the minicamp next week, to maximize the preparation for and value of it.
Metcalf said the veteran players recently met and decided to report Monday.
“The vets and the leaders of the team had a long conversation, and they decided we should come back,” the 23-year-old receiver said.
“We showed up as a team, with a few along the way who are coming later this week.”
Among those notably still away from OTAs Tuesday were four of the team’s six highest-paid players: left tackle Duane Brown, safety Jamal Adams, wide receiver Tyler Lockett and safety Quandre Diggs.
Also absent for the voluntary work: running back Chris Carson, pass rushers Carlos Dunlap, Benson Mayowa and Aldon Smith, running back DeeJay Dallas and Pro Bowl special-teams ace Nick Bellore.
“Our vets handled the situation very carefully,” Metcalf said, “and I think they made the correct decision.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 1:06 PM.
