Nobody in the NFL can maintain relationships with players like Pete Carroll

Here’s what I’m picturing, improbable as it might seem right now. 

Some time in the next few years, when the acrimony has atrophied, Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson will share a public hug on the Lumen Field turf and exchange genuine smiles. 

The messiest divorce in Seahawks history will be all but forgotten as two Super Bowl winners reminisce on the good times and block out the gloomy ones. 

Should this prediction come true, it will not solely be the function of time stitching up sores suffered by an eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback. It will be because Carroll, like few coaches can, kept that bridge fire-free. 

This isn’t a column about Wilson but rather the 72-year-old coach that serves as a tractor beam for former Seahawks. Rarely does it seem to matter why a player originally parted ways with the organization, said player always seems to want to come back in one capacity or another. 

The latest example is outside linebacker Frank Clark, who didn’t leave under hostile conditions but stated what has become a motif among those who have dawned the blue and green. 

“That’s always been one of my goals, to get back to Seattle at some point in my career,” said Clark, a Seahawks draftee in 2015 who spent the past 4 1/3 seasons in Kansas City and Denver.

What is it about this place? 

“I feel like it’s just very special and that starts up top. It starts with Coach Carroll and the job he does with his players. He allows you to be you.” 

This isn’t the first time this topic has been addressed, but if the subject is short on originality, it’s long on relevance. It was early last year, remember, that Carroll and Seahawks general manager John Schneider were apologizing for the way they handled the release of six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. 

The future Hall of Famer had previously lamented having to find out that he’d been cut through a third party. The bungled explanation from the brass was that Wagner acting as his own agent complicated the communication, but Bobby (and the public) didn’t buy it. 

Nevertheless, No. 54 was back in a Seahawks uniform before training camp this season, ostensibly as inspired as he has ever been. Asked Wednesday about what makes the franchise special, Wagner responded: “Definitely the people. People, the environment, obviously Pete. I would say that’s the biggest thing.” 

One might say that Carroll is distinct from most NFL coaches in that he has simply been in the same spot for 13 years. Who else can make that claim?

Well, there is one guy — Patriots coach Bill Belichick — who has been in New England since 2000. But it doesn’t seem that we hear too many stories about the warm-and-fuzzy vibes between him and his former players. 

Just think about ex-Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman, the man who publicly lambasted Carroll for opting to throw the ball from the 1 in the Super Bowl and potentially laid the groundwork for an eternal rift between him and Pete.

Eh, not so much. Not only is Sherman a regular at the Seahawks’ practice facility, he recently sat down with Carroll for a lengthy, amicable conversation on his podcast. 

Carroll simply never lashes out. At least not if there’s a camera or tape recorder in front of him. This is true even in regards to former safety Earl Thomas, who infamously flipped Pete the bird in his final game as a Seahawk. 

Perhaps this is why Marshawn Lynch felt inclined to return for three games (and score four touchdowns) after a slew of running-back injuries. Perhaps the culture is what prevented current quarterback Geno Smith from gazing anywhere else during free agency last offseason (although it’s unclear whether any other team would have matched the Seahawks’ offer). 

Friday, Carroll was asked about maintaining relationships with his players regardless of the tumult they may have endured. 

“I am proud of that. I’m proud that they see where we’re coming from, and they can tell what we’re all about,” Carroll said. “Things happen and you have to deal with them and they’re not always what you want. The realities and the reality checks that you undertake along the way, it’s just hard sometimes. You don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t care, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be there for them when they come back around either.”

It’s certainly possible that Carroll’s primary motivation in all this is just wanting to win. Doesn’t mean he isn’t continually impressing his players, though.

The Seahawks may have a revolving door when it comes to personnel. But one thing that door doesn’t do is close.