(CNN)He might've brought the Seattle Seahawks their first Super Bowl title, but upon his return to the Pacific Northwest with his new team on Monday, Russell Wilson certainly didn't get a hero's welcome.
Wilson -- now the quarterback of the Denver Broncos after having been traded from the Seahawks following a successful 10-year stint -- was booed by the majority inside Lumen Field when he took to the gridiron for the first time in his new colors.
And the evening didn't get any better for Wilson, as he and the Broncos were edged out 17-16 by the Seahawks.
However, Wilson said he expected the hostile reception upon his return to the city he had called home for a decade.
"It didn't bother me, you know, it's a hostile environment, it always has been. I didn't expect them to give a round of applause every once in a while," Wilson said with a smile after the game.
The 33-year-old added: "For me, Seattle's been amazing for me. Like I said, anybody who thinks any other words, they don't know my heart, and they don't know how much this city has meant to me. Tonight was special, it was on the other side than I'm used to, but it was still a special environment and a place I've always loved."
A Seattle Seahawks fan holds a sign referencing Wilson during the second half.
Fine margins
It was always going to be a memorable return to Seattle for Wilson.
The Seahawks drafted the quarterback with a third-round pick in 2012. During his time in the Pacific Northwest, he guided the franchise into eight postseasons, including two Super Bowl appearances and one championship win in 2014.
However, after relationships staled between Wilson and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll in recent years, he was traded to the Broncos in the offseason for a huge haul in an exchange that sent shockwaves through the sport.
Upon arriving in Denver, he signed a five-year extension with the team reportedly worth $245 million and his debut just so happened to come at his former stomping ground in Seattle.
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throws during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 on September 11 in Cincinnati. Burrow would go on to have five turnovers on the day — four interceptions and a lost fumble — in a 23-20 loss.
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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) had nine receptions for 184 yards and two TDs in a big 23-7 division win against the Green Bay Packers on September 11 in Minneapolis. This pass, however, was incomplete.
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Seattle Seahawks fans make noise as Russell Wilson (3) of the Denver Broncos prepares to take a snap during a failed game-winning drive on September 12. It was Wilson's first game back in Seattle since leaving for Denver after 10 years with the Seahawks. Seattle won 17-16.
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Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. poses for a photo prior to the season opener between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams on September 8. OBJ has flirted with signing with either the Rams or the Bills this season, and although he showed up in Rams colors on the day, he went viral following the Bills' big win, tweeting, "Sheeesh.... Bills mafia ??????"
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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas makes a reception against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell in the second half of their game in Atlanta on September 11. Thomas had two touchdown catches on the day as the Saints outscored the Falcons by 14 in the fourth to win 27-26.
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Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields celebrates after the Bears' 19-10 win against the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field. Fields threw for two touchdowns on a rain-soaked day in Chicago.
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However, it was his replacement on the Seattle sideline who really stole the show.
Geno Smith, who had been the back-up behind Wilson, looked steady in his first start since the end of the Wilson era, finishing with 195 yards on 23/28 passing with two touchdowns.
Wilson threw for 340 yards on 29/42 passing and a touchdown but the game ended with the ball out of his hands despite the resources invested in his signing.
After a sloppy second half from both teams, including two fumbles from the one-yard line on back-to-back possessions to start the second half for Denver, Wilson drove his team up the field in the final two minutes.
With 20 seconds left, on fourth and five at the Seattle 46-yard line, first year Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett had a decision to make: let his new, big money quarterback try to get them the required yardage or attempt a very long field goal?
In the end, Hackett chose the safer option of a 64-yard field goal attempt in the final few seconds to claim a victory from the jaws of defeat.
However, Brandon McManus' attempt flew wide left, meaning Wilson's return to Seattle ended in disappointment.
Wilson walks off the field after losing to the Seahawks.
But after the game, Wilson stressed he supported Hackett's decision to go for the field goal rather than let him try to keep the offense moving.
"I believe in coach Hackett," Wilson said. "I believe in what we're doing. Believe in everything, and any time you can try to find a way to make a play on fourth-and-5, that's great, too. Also, I don't think it was the wrong decision. I think [McManus] can make it."
The defeat means that in an extremely competitive AFC West, the Broncos are already behind the eight-ball, while the Geno Smith era in Seattle begins with aplomb.
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Russell Wilson booed in return to Seattle as Denver Broncos lose to Seahawks - CNN
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