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Paul Klee: Russell Wilson’s Broncos vs. the Seahawks: Let’s collide

By Paul Klee September 12, 2022 | updated 3 years ago

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Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson looks to throw Sept. 21, 2014, against Denver in Seattle.

Christian Murdock, The Gazette

SEATTLE — Broncos-Seahawks.

Let’s collide.

Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle will not be similar to the Denver return of Nolan Arenado, who earned a boisterous standing “O” from the Coors Field faithful in his first game back in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform.

This homecoming won’t be like that homecoming at all.

Monday night here at Lumen Field, the loudest stadium in the NFL, Wilson’s welcome back will be more like Jay Cutler’s at Mile High, or Carmelo Anthony and Matt Duchene’s at Pepsi Center: Boooooo.

If there were a 15-yard penalty for incitement, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll would have been flagged last week: “I think (the fans) will know exactly what to do.”

The Seahawks host the Broncos in a season opener heavy on history and even heavier on emotion — the kind of emotion that comes when a fanbase goes into its closet, sees a former player’s jersey and has a sad. The bummer about sports is they usually don’t love you back.

“It was definitely tough to see Russ get traded in the offseason,” said Nick Johnson, president of the Mile High Sea Hawkers, a club that gathers in Denver to root on its beloved Hawks.

The bigger picture shows a Broncos franchise on the rise again. Monday night will come and go, but for 2 or 3 hours the focal point will be a star quarterback loathed by people who loved him.

The Seahawks just taught a masterclass on flipping the narrative in their favor, first planting a hit piece on ESPN.com that painted Wilson as the bad guy who deserves all the ire from the locals. Carroll then poured gasoline on the fire.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “But I’m leaving it up to the 12s.”

The blockbuster trade that sent Wilson to Denver flipped the fortunes of the Broncos, who went from pining for the glory days of John Elway and Peyton Manning to another Hall of Fame quarterback and Super Bowl dreams. Just like that, everything changed for the better.

But this one’s going to be tough for Russ, no doubt about it. When the ESPN piece hit the web and the airwaves last week, Wilson was visibly affected by the content. His eyes red, Wilson played it down by appealing to his time at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Why Not You Academy, a school founded by Russ and Ciara during a winning decade with the Seahawks.

“I gave my all and that’s all I can give,” Wilson allowed.

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The whole scene carried shades of Manning before his own return to Indianapolis, talking of his time with a children’s hospital, old friends and a boatload of wins there. But Manning’s football divorce was initiated by the Colts, and his homecoming opened with a touching tribute video to the beloved quarterback. PFM teared up. 

Wilson’s homecoming won’t be like that homecoming at all. A few weeks back, the Seattle Storm broadcast a video tribute to the great Sue Bird, and Wilson was featured.

Boos followed. Monday, multiply that by 72,000.

No one’s going to question Wilson’s mental toughness between the sidelines. The Broncos got a sneak peek at the quarterback’s intestinal fortitude in this same stadium just a few years ago: Back in Week 3 of the 2014 season, in a rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII, Manning led the Broncos on a scoring drive to force overtime against the Seahawks, Wilson calmly and methodically carried the Seahawks 80 plays for the game-winning touchdown. Ho, hum. No biggie.

“He has been a pillar of the Seahawks team, organization and Seattle community for the past 10 years, so I’m sure for all the Seahawks fans it was difficult to see him leave and will be difficult to see him playing in any jersey other than the blue and green,” said Johnson, the Denver-based Seahawks club president.

How will Wilson handle the emotions of a matchup made for TV ratings at his expense?

That’s the question that decides whether the Broncos or Seahawks begin their season 1-0.

On Aug. 30, 2009, Cutler returned to Mile High to boos. One Broncos fanatic held up a sign that read, “Cutler, your mascara is running.” Cutler led a 98-yard drive in a Bears preseason win.

On March 13, 2013, Melo returned with the Knicks: “At forward from Syracuse University, No. 7 Carmelo Anthony.” Boos. Oct. 26, 2018, Duchene heard the same as an Ottawa Senator.

Boooo.

This homecoming will be like those homecomings, only with a bullet: Wilson brought the first NFL championship to Seattle.

“Seattle will always mean the world to me. It will always forever be home to me. It was always have a special place in my heart,” Wilson said.

Monday night, worlds collide.

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