SEATTLE — If you're so inclined, you can pinpoint the start of Russell Wilson's career decline to the days in and around his selection in February of 2021 as the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year, the highest humanitarian honor the league bestows.
During the Super Bowl telecast in the wake of that award, Wilson was shown sitting between his wife, Ciara, and Commissioner Roger Goodell, looking decidedly glum. He would say later that his discontent stemmed from frustration over the fact that it had been six years since the Seahawks had played in the championship game, and his intense desire to add multiple rings to his résumé.
Wilson would, in fact, say lots of things in the aftermath of winning the Payton award, launching a campaign in the ensuing days to make public his dissatisfaction with how things were going in Seattle. In two interviews conducted the next week expressly designed to talk about winning Man of the Year, Wilson used the platform for an airing of grievances. He made veiled complaints about the Seahawks' offensive line, said he wanted to see changes in the offense, and expressed a desire to have more say in any moves the team made.
