Russell Wilson and his Seattle Seahawks currently sit at 5-8 on the season and have won two consecutive games. That includes a victory over the hapless Houston Texans on Sunday.
Seattle likely needs to run the table if it wants to even have a chance to earn a playoff spot. Continued rumors swirling around Wilson and a potential trade are the backdrop in the Pacific Northwest.
Remember, the Super Bowl winner gave the Seahawks a list of teams to which he wanted to be traded last offseason. While stopping short of requesting a trade, Wilson made it more than clear he’s not happy with the Seahawks’ organization.
Now comes this report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport indicating that Wilson trade chatter is expected to pick up during the offseason.
This also comes on the heels of another report indicating that Wilson would waive his no-trade clause to be dealt to the New York Giants. In addition to Big Blue, he’s reportedly interested in the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints.
Is Wilson playing his final handful of games with the Seahawks?
While Wilson called these reports a non-story, he didn’t deny them. At issue here is the direction of the organization under head coach Pete Carroll. Issues with player-personnel matters also came to the forefront early in the calendar year with Wilson being upset about the lack of pass protection in front of him.
Wilson has two more years and $51 million remaining on his current contract. Obviously, that will play a role should he request a trade. In short, Seattle doesn’t have to budge if it believes Wilson will be willing to return next season.
- Russell Wilson stats: 101-51-1 record, 65.2% completion rate, 35,988 yards, 281 touchdowns, 85 interceptions, 101.7 rating
As you can tell, Wilson is among the best quarterbacks in the game and has been since he entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2012.
If Wilson were on the market, there wouldn’t be a shortage of interest in his services. Pretty much every team outside of a select few would view him as an upgrade.
It would be all about compensation heading back to Seattle. Presumably, Seattle would want a young quarterback in return. It’s not yet known if Drew Lock (Denver Broncos) or Daniel Jones (New York Giants) would be of interest to the Seahawks. As for the Saints, they don’t have a young quarterback to offer.
There’s also a scenario here that includes the Seahawks turning around and finding an experienced replacement for Wilson should he request a trade. Perhaps, Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans makes sense.
Either way, this is going to be an absolutely huge story once the 2021 season ends. That would be magnified if Seattle finishes with its first losing season since all the way back in 2011.
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