Russell Wilson won't 'kill the dream' of playing baseball

Let the rumors start to fly as fast as a 97 mph fastball.

In the midst of negotiating a new contract, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson didn't squash the idea of playing baseball during the NFL offseason in an interview with HBO's "Real Sports" that will air April 21.

"I never want to kill the dream of playing two sports," Wilson said. "I would honestly play two sports."

Host Bryant Gumbel pressed Wilson on what is preventing the 26-year-old from becoming the latest two-sport star.

"I don't know," Wilson said sheepishly. "I may push the envelope a little bit one of these days."

Wilson, who was a two-sport star at NC State, has spent a day at Texas Rangers spring training in Arizona each of the past two years. On March 28, he hit a home run during batting practice.

The former second baseman in college and in the minors was acquired by the Rangers during the Rule 5 draft in December 2013, which allows teams to draft players who have never been called up to the big leagues after spending at least four years in another franchise's farm system. Wilson was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles out of high school and then in the fourth round by the Colorado Rockies in 2010.

In two years in Colorado's farm system in 2010 and 2011, Wilson hit .229 in 315 at-bats, according to MLB.com. He hit .228 and had 15 stolen bases in 61 games with an on-base percentage of .366 in 2011 for Class A Asheville.