Pete Carroll believes the Seattle Seahawks "got a really good deal" for Russell Wilson but added they will not be looking to trade another superstar in DK Metcalf.
Long-time Seahawks quarterback Wilson was moved with a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick, along with Drew Lock, Shelby Harris and Noah Fant.
That deal signalled the end of an era in Seattle, where Wilson had been the starter since being drafted in 2012, winning the Super Bowl in his second season.
Prior to the trade, Carroll had insisted the Seahawks had "no intention of making any move there".
But speaking on Tuesday, the head coach said: "Things change. There was a long period in there working it. I didn't have the intention of going crazy, but we looked at the opportunity.
"Once we got a good look at it, there was reason. We got a really good deal, so we went ahead and made it. It took a long time to get to that, though.
"We had a long process where I didn’t think we would do it. It was such a complicated trade to make."
Given Carroll's wording, Seahawks fans might be concerned by his update on the future of wide receiver Metcalf, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
"We intend for him to be with us," Carroll said. "We'd love to figure that out."
However, he added some certainty on the future a 24-year-old who last year had 12 receiving touchdowns – more than either Davante Adams or Tyreek Hill, two players who have this offseason secured huge new contracts following trades.
"We're not on that topic yet specifically, because we've got so many other things going on, but we'd love to have him," Carroll said. "There's no way I could imagine playing without him."
Among those "many other things" is the identity of Wilson's successor under center, even as the Seahawks work to re-sign his former back-up Geno Smith.
The team are "definitely still in the quarterback business," Carroll said. Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett could be options in the draft, but talks with Colin Kaepernick "have not progressed".
For now, former Broncos QB Lock is in the box seat, despite underwhelming across three seasons in Denver in which he earned only 21 starts.
Lock threw 15 interceptions in his sole season as a regular starter in 2020, leading Carroll to acknowledge "there's a lot of turnovers in his game" and "that just doesn't fit with us". "We just have to fix that," he said.
However, the Seahawks coach can also "still see" the "big, strong-armed, mobile, aggressive, athletic quarterback" that came out of college.
"All we're seeing right now is upside," he added.
Eagles lock up wide receiver Smith through 2028
The Philadelphia Eagles locked up wide receiver DeVonta Smith through the 2028 season on Monday.
Philadelphia exercised its fifth-year option on Smith for the 2025 season and agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that runs through 2028.
Smith’s extension is reportedly worth $75million, including $51million in guaranteed money.
Philadelphia selected Smith with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after he won the Heisman Trophy with Alabama in 2020.
Smith was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991 and first non-quarterback or running back to capture the honour since cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997.
Smith has caught 240 passes for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in 50 regular-season games while adding 27 receptions for 405 yards and a TD catch in five postseason contests.
OJ Simpson: Cherished star whose fall from grace was seen live by millions on TV
From cherished American superstar to villain whose murder trial captivated a global audience, OJ Simpson’s fall from grace was startling.
Simpson, nicknamed ‘The Juice’, has died at the age of 76 after losing his battle with prostate cancer, leaving behind four children.
Before the low-speed car chase by police and ‘Trial of the Century’ that began the unravelling of his reputation, Simpson was a darling of American sport who had also carved out a successful acting career.
He was raised in a low income neighbourhood in San Francisco and joined a local gang but his athleticism offered a route out and he found his purpose in gridiron.
A prolific running back, he starred for USC and in 1968 won the Heisman Trophy awarded to the outstanding player in college football. Inevitably, he was first overall draught pick the following year.
Progress in his first couple of seasons at the Buffalo Bills was slow but his impact grew and he went on to become one of the most successful operators in his position, winning the NFL’s most valuable player in 1973 and being inducted into the hall of fame in 1985.
He became the game’s highest paid player and lucrative commercial deals also followed as companies looked to leverage his charisma and popularity, while his acting career included parts in blockbusters ‘Towering Inferno’ and ‘The Naked Gun’.
For all his film presence he was little known outside the United States but that changed for all the wrong reasons when he was arrested in 1994 for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Brown and Goldman had been found stabbed to death in LA and once police had filed charges, Simpson refused to turn himself in and was pursued in an extraordinary car chase that was at low speed because he had a gun pointed to his head.
The event was televised live to millions and projected his notoriety worldwide, with the broadcasting of his subsequent murder trial only intensifying interest in this fallen star.
He was acquitted the following year but a civil lawsuit found him liable for the deaths, resulting in an order to pay £26.7million pounds to the victims of the families. Only a fraction of that amount was actually paid.
Arrests followed for a variety of offences in the early 2000s and his lowest point eventually came in 2007 when he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.
He served nine of a 33-year jail sentence and upon his release he continued to live in Las Vegas, looking increasingly frail when in public but active on social media. Simpson always maintained his innocence of the murders.
OJ Simpson dies aged 76
OJ Simpson has died of cancer at the age of 76.
Simpson was a running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers from 1969 to 1979, before being acquitted of murder in a trial in the mid-1990s.
News of Simpson’s death was announced by his children on his X account.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” read a statement.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace. -The Simpson Family”
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