Seahawks Ex Luke Willson Details Harsh Reasons For Abrupt Retirement

Though his health played a factor in his decision to walk away from the game, Luke Willson figured out quickly that the Seattle Seahawks weren't going to be a contender, making his decision to retire even easier.

In one of the most bizarre career endings imaginable, popular veteran tight end Luke Willson re-joined the Seattle Seahawks during training camp prior to the 2021 season, only to announce his retirement less than 24 hours later.

At the time, while he cited a prior health scare as factoring into his decision to step away, Willson's 180 degree turn baffled fans. But two years later, guest starring on the KJ All Day Podcast with former teammate K.J. Wright, he revealed additional details that made his decision far more understandable.

As Willson explained to Wright, the Seahawks reached out with interest in signing him towards the tail end of training camp and the preseason. But there was a catch.

After rushing in for a physical, signing his contract, and playing in the preseason finale, the team would cut him and then re-sign him to their practice squad with the promise he would be active for the season opener.

While such shenanigans may be viewed as cold-hearted, especially for a player and leader like Willson who had spent most of his career in Seattle as a reliable all-around tight end, these procedures aren't abnormal for signing aging veterans in training camp. By releasing him before the start of the season, the organization wouldn't be on the hook for any guaranteed money, and bringing him back on the practice squad would provide invaluable veteran depth with COVID-19 protocols still in place.

Initially, the then-31-year-old Willson was on board with going through the charade. Even after being in the emergency room earlier in the offseason with an undisclosed heart issue, his heart was set on playing football, and he valued the opportunity to play for the Seahawks again before calling it a career.

However, after playing for two Super Bowl teams in the Pacific Northwest and participating in 11 playoff games with Seattle, it didn't take Willson more than a couple of hours on the practice field to realize the current squad wasn't going anywhere.

Walking away from the game is not easy. I’m glad my guy could hang up the cleats on his termhttps://t.co/YwWkhegUYY pic.twitter.com/eASyZRSBD4

— KJ Wright (@KJ_WRIGHT34) June 20, 2023

"I stroll into that practice," Willson said. "And this is the part I never told anyone - that was the worst practice I've ever seen anywhere I've been."

In a rapid reversal, after being welcomed back less than 24 hours earlier, Willson announced his retirement the next day through a statement on his social media accounts. At the time, he referenced his health concerns and a changed perspective as the main reasons for hanging up his cleats.

Thanking the Seahawks organization, fans, and those in his hometown of LaSalle, Ontario for their support throughout his NFL career, Willson wrote that he reached his decision "after reflecting on everything yesterday and being in the building."

Following his candid interview with Wright, that statement from Willson nearly two years ago has taken on a whole new meaning.

According to Willson, it only took one practice for it to become clear to him that this incarnation of the Seahawks lacked the heart of their predecessors. Dismayed by what he saw on the field, given everything he had endured in the offseason, he made the choice to walk away rather than put his body on the line for a team that he didn't expect to compete for a playoff spot.

Unfortunately for 12s, Willson's intuition proved to be correct. While quarterback Russell Wilson going down with a finger injury in Week 5 and missing three games contributed to Seattle's last place finish in the NFC West, coach Pete Carroll's squad stumbled to a 7-10 finish, suffering double-digit losses for the first time since 2009.

"At this point in my life, I was not gonna put my body, my mind, and my soul [on the line] for a team that eventually went 7-10, but had the attitude of a 4-12 team," Willson said.

Thankfully, better days laid ahead for the Seahawks, as Carroll and general manager John Schneider quickly went to work overhauling their roster with the aim of returning the franchise to their previous winning ways.

In the aftermath of that dismal campaign, Seattle shipped Wilson to Denver in a blockbuster trade and released All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner in a cap-related maneuver, leading many to believe the franchise was heading into a long, dark rebuild. Instead, with Geno Smith at the controls and an outstanding 2022 draft class, the team wound up winning nine games and earning an unexpected wild card berth.

Having played with the quarterback in 2019 and 2020 when he served as a backup for Wilson, Willson was blown away by what he saw from Smith on the practice field, leaving him to wonder why he was a backup and not starting elsewhere.

"The day Geno Smith showed up in Seattle, I was like 'This cat is different,'" Willson recalled. "His first couple weeks here, I'm like 'What's the matter with him?' There's got to be something the matter with Geno because he's a backup."

But as he continued to get to know Smith on and off the field, it became apparent to Willson that none of the perceived narratives surrounding the quarterback after a failed stint as a starter with the Jets added up. He saw a signal caller with a strong, accurate arm, underrated athleticism, a strong football IQ, and an excellent presence in the locker room, and considering those tools he had seen on display himself, he was one of the few who expected big things from him.

Calling himself Nostradamus, and for good reason, Willson referenced tweeting that Smith would "ball out" as Seattle's new starter last season. Once again, this time to the delight of fans, he was dead on, as the ex-West Virginia star earned Comeback Player of the Year honors and made his first Pro Bowl after throwing 30 touchdown passes and leading the NFL with a near-70 percent completion rate.

Only a few years ago, the Seahawks looked to be in a steep decline and Willson sensed that first-hand on the practice field, choosing to exit stage left rather than play for a mediocre team. With a different perspective now from the outside looking in, he senses a far different vibe with Smith under center, a bevy of weapons around him, and a young, talented foundation on both sides of the ball, which should excite fans for 2023 and beyond.

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