Almost three years ago to the day, then-Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters at the NFL scouting combine that he had "no intention" of trading star quarterback Russell Wilson while never shooting down the possibility outright.
Carroll's carefully crafted words left some wiggle room, because as he was trying to keep a lid on an already difficult situation, general manager John Schneider was spending part of his time in Indianapolis in a clandestine meeting with his Denver Broncos counterpart, hammering out details of a blockbuster trade that would be finalized the next week.