SEATTLE — The news of the Russell Wilson trade was like a punch in the gut for most Seahawks fans.
Some are in mourning. Others are trying to be optimistic. Then there are those who now consider themselves Bronco fans.
As the news spread, fans began showing up at Lumen Field, where Russell Wilson has played as a Seahawk and is also a minority owner of the Seattle Sounders, a Major League Soccer franchise.
But football is where Russell Wilson has made his mark on this city.
And for the fans we spoke to, the Seahawks’ decision to trade him now stings.
“So, we’re in the room and he said, ‘You know they traded,’ and he just threw himself back on the bed and said ‘Noooooo!’” exclaimed Nora Trevino, describing her young Seahawks fan’s reaction.
The news has been slowly sinking in all day. Russell Wilson will never again wear a Seahawks uniform. Some fans are taking the news especially hard.
“On the verge of crying because poor Russell has been traded,” said Chris Daugherty. “And he only needed a good offense and defense and they wouldn’t have had to trade him. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league.”
“That’s bad man,” said Jakelin DeJesus. “He was part of the team. He was good. It was all good.”
And almost no one saw it coming.
“Surprising, but they said ‘no go’ on it,” said Johnny Krawchook. “Yeah, that’s the way it is sometimes in life. When you hear no, it ends up being yes.”
“That knocked me out of my chair,” said a longtime voice of the Seahawks and former KIRO news anchor Steve Raible.
He says he, too, was surprised by the Wilson trade.
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“I don’t know any more than you do right now,” conceded Raible. “I just know that the sense of it was, my sense of it was you don’t part with a franchise quarterback unless you have some idea of what you’re going to do next. And unless the deal is overwhelmingly good that you can come out of this thing somewhat whole.”
That is what some fans say they are counting on, that trading Russell Wilson means something promising is in the offing.
“It’s sad,” said Mohsin Khan, a Seahawks fan. “I just moved here a year ago. I was excited to watch him play right here. But, you know, I’m excited to see who comes next. I mean it could be a good thing.”
A lot of people are likely hoping for that.
But the impact of Russell Wilson goes far beyond the football field. He has also impacted the community.