Russell Wilson is taking his bird to Denver, and I’m surprised.

Aaron Rodgers is staying put, and I’m not surprised.

OK. I really didn’t think the Wilson thing would happen. It looked and sounded like Russ’s annual ennui, and seemed headed for its annual resolution. Shameless and Sameness in Seattle.

But here’s what I think happened. Wilson wants to play one way. Pete Carroll wants his team to play another way. Remember a couple of years ago when Wilson got off to that phenomenal start, and was rolling up passing yards and touchdowns like his last name was Mahomes?  And it is true that Wilson, with his baseball background and huge hands, may be the most gifted deep-ball thrower in the NFL. He tasted that bombs-away casserole, and he liked it.

Problem was, Carroll didn’t like it. In fact, it drove him nuts. Pete Carroll wants to run the rock and play defense. Why wouldn’t he want that? He’s been uber-successful doing it, and he knows he is nearing the end of his coaching career.  This is a Sinatra “My Way” ballad.

So let’s examine this. A team (the Seahawks) and a coach (Petey) who want to go ground chuck have parted ways with their wannabe air-it-out QB.

And a team (the Broncos) whose offense has been about as stodgy and low-tech as a Conestoga Wagon went and got themselves a passing game guru (Nathaniel Hackett) for a head coach. And now Denver has a quarterback that can take them from a Wright Brothers offense to a hypersonic fighter jet.

Hackett is happy. So are Broncos fans.

Wilson is happy. He could have rejected this trade had he wanted to.

Petey’s happy.

I’m not certain about the current happiness level of Seahawks fans, although getting Noah Fant (great!), Shelby Harris (a player!), Drew Lock (relax, he’ll be a backup), two first-round picks and a fifth-round pick in exchange for Wilson is quite the haul.

Here’s what makes me happy. The Broncos and Seahawks play each other next season. I can’t wait.

Now. Who’s going to actually play quarterback for the Seahawks? Whoever it turns out to be is going to have to duel Matthew Stafford twice a year.

It would not surprise me if Petey’s starter ends up being Geno Smith. I could not be more serious. Geno plays the way Petey wants to play. And Geno’s teammates love him.

Apparently, the Rodgers to Denver thing was never really a thing. The two teams say they never discussed a deal. It looks like Wilson was Denver’s Plan A from the jump.

After he patched it up with Packers’ G.M. Brian Gutekunst, it already looked like Rodgers was staying in Green Bay, despite his diva-like need to milk as much drama out of it as he could.

Oh, and he milked a reported 200 mill out of it, too. That’s a heckuva milkshake.

Finally, I think A-Rod’s relationship with Davante Adams had a lot to do with keeping him in Title Town.

Damn. I didn’t even get to the Cowboys’ cap-juggling, the Panthers maybe shopping McCaffrey, PGA Commish Jay Monahan telling Lefty to go sit in the corner, or Deion’s toes yet. 

I guess that’s why God invented Thursday’s sports blog post.