RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Since being traded to Seattle in the middle of the 2017 season, offensive tackle Duane Brown hasn’t spent much time dwelling on his days with Houston.
The only player Brown believes is still on the Texans’ roster from when he played there is Deshaun Watson.
“When I first left, I was still in touch with guys who were there. Then I just slowly started to see them leave,” Brown said Thursday. “It’s crazy the turnover that’s happened just in this four years’ time. Other than that, I don’t pay attention to it too much.”
Brown will get to see his former team for the first time since getting traded when Seattle visits Houston on Sunday. Brown spent the first 9 ½ seasons of his career with the Texans, becoming a four-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time All-Pro pick during his time there.
But his departure from the Texans was acrimonious. After a six-game holdout at the start of the 2017 season, Brown returned for one game — oddly enough against Seattle — before getting traded the following week to the Seahawks.
Recalling that situation this week, Brown said some Seahawks players he talked to during and after that game — a wild 41-38 Seattle win — were hinting that a deal could be going down to have him moving to the Pacific Northwest.
“There was some conversations about it during the game. It was also an amazing game. It was one of the best games I’ve been a part of,” Brown said. “Then after the game, talking to some guys, just some conversations about the potential of it happening. That was my first time playing here my whole career. My whole career, that was my first time playing in Seattle. To then get traded here a couple days later, it was wild. Very surreal feeling.”
Since coming to Seattle, Brown has been a stalwart protecting the blindside of quarterback Russell Wilson. He’s started and played in 65 of a possible 69 games with the Seahawks, although the overall offensive line play has been mixed during that time.
His future in Seattle is somewhat in question. Brown “held-in” throughout training camp this summer, opting not to participate in practice while seeking long-term security with his contract set to expire after this season.
Seattle restructured Brown’s deal, converting per-game roster bonuses into guaranteed money. He also received injury protection should he not be able to play in 2022. But there was no extension.
No matter whether he has a future in Seattle beyond this season, Brown has valued this chapter of his career.
“Before I got here, I had known some guys on the team, and I just talked about the perception of outside looking in of the team and the brotherhood. The locker room, it just looked like the ideal brotherhood that you would want on a team,” Brown said. “When I got here, that was everything that I saw and everything I’ve experienced. It’s been amazing. I’m nothing but grateful for my time here.”
WILSON’S FUTURE
Wilson said Thursday he is not looking ahead to the offseason and a potential departure from Seattle, a day after a report saying the quarterback was considering waiving his no-trade clause for certain teams.
Wilson said he saw the report after it was sent to him, but reiterated his desire to stay in Seattle long-term, calling the report a “nonstory.”
“That’s not in my head right now at all. I didn’t say that either,” Wilson said. “I’m focused on what we’re doing here.”
As he has in the past, Wilson said he hopes to play his entire career with the Seahawks.
“Will that happen? I don’t know. But that’s my prayer. That’s my hope,” Wilson said.
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