Russell Wilson wants to play baseball ... or wants to make the Seattle Seahawks believe he wants to play baseball.
The Seattle Times is one of several media outlets to report that Wilson told HBO's "Real Sports" that playing professional baseball still is very much on his mind.
"You never want to kill the dream of playing two sports," Wilson said in a clip of the interview that was provided to media Sunday by HBO for the show that will debut on April 21, the Times reported. "I would honestly play two sports."
When host Bryant Gumbel asked what was in the way of Wilson pursuing a stint in professional baseball, he said, "I don't know. I may push the envelope a little bit one of these days."
Russell Wilson appearance at Texas Rangers spring training good for him and the Rangers
According to NFL.com, the Baltimore Orioles originally drafted Wilson in the 41st round out of high school, but he accepted a football scholarship to North Carolina State instead. The Colorado Rockies took him in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft, and he spent two years in their farm system.
ESPN.com reported that Wilson hit .229 in 315 games during his minor league career. He spent his first season with the Tri-City Dust Devils, a short-season Class A club where he hit two home runs and had 11 RBIs in 122 at-bats in 2010.
In 2011, he moved up to the Class A Asheville Tourists team, hitting .228 with three homers, 15 RBIs and 15 steals in 193 at-bats.
The Texas Rangers selected Wilson in the Rule 5 Draft in 2013, and he has played in spring training with the club the last two seasons. According to NFL.com, he hit a home run in the batting cage this spring.
The Times reported that speculation has indicated Wilson could become the highest paid player in the NFL, topping Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers' current salary of $22 million per year.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have told the Times in recent weeks that contract negotiations have become more serious.
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