The Seattle Seahawks wouldn’t trade Russell Wilson, would they?
The Seattle Seahawks have been given a deadline of April 15 to get a new contract done with quarterback Russell Wilson. They wouldn’t trade him, would they?
Russell Wilson has apparently made it clear to the Seattle Seahawks that he wants a new contract by April 15, which would give the Seahawks two weeks to make him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, and probably the highest paid player in NFL history.
The clock is ticking.
Russell Wilson has made clear to the #Seahawks he wants a deal by April 15. An early deadline, but also a chance to handle business before the offseason program begins. https://t.co/hvTl0hJToF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 2, 2019
In all likelihood, the Seahawks are going to get their Super Bowl winning quarterback a new contract and make him the highest paid player in league history, but what if they don’t?
Or can’t?
There are some rumblings, for the conspiracy theorists out there, that Wilson and his wife might prefer to relocate to the East Coast because of her career, which makes a lot of sense.
Recently I told you about a source that told me Russell Wilson and his wife could potentially prefer NYC. Her career is a real thing and Seattle is geography isolated. Now suddenly he gives a contract deadline. Very off brand. Hmmmm. Cya in the AM @FS1
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) April 3, 2019
Further, a relocation to New York makes sense because Wilson has been making appearances there with the professional baseball team that employs him, the New York Yankees.
New York may be a much better geographic location for Ciara’s career and for Wilson’s brand as a professional athlete, but is there any way the Seahawks would let Wilson go?
I guess crazier things have happened.
The only way this works is if the Giants pay a king’s ransom for Wilson, or the Jets abandon ship on the Sam Darnold idea and ship him — along with a number of high draft picks — to Seattle for Wilson.
It’s not impossible to drum up a scenario for either side, but the key would be making the Seahawks an offer they can’t refuse and being willing to give Wilson the contract he desires.
The Giants have under $12 million in cap space this year, so facilitating a trade for Wilson would require dumping salary cap (cutting Eli Manning would add $12 million in cap space), adding a significant amount moving forward (at least $34 million per year), and giving up a ton of draft picks.
Would the Seahawks turn down this kind of trade?
That seems like a ridiculous price to pay, but if you can get Russell Wilson, who cares about those draft picks, to be honest?
Those draft picks are not going to give you a player of Russell Wilson’s caliber at the game’s most important position.
You cut Eli Manning, trade those assets for Wilson, and begin slowly building brick by brick around him.
The Giants already have Saquon Barkley and they improved their offensive line substantially this offseason. They also would keep the 34th overall pick in this year’s draft and have a number of day three picks to work with to build the rest of the roster.
For the Seahawks, that kind of draft capital sets you up to basically pick and choose any QB you would want in the next two draft classes via trade or just picking one at 6 overall this year (or whatever pick).
It would also give the Seahawks ammunition to rebuild and reload their roster, which has consistently failed to provide Wilson with necessary support in recent years.
What about another trade possibility to get Wilson to New York?
Because the Jets would be sending a guy who has already proven he has franchise QB qualities, they don’t have to give up quite as much as the Giants do in our previous hypothetical scenario.
If I’m the Seahawks, I like this deal a lot better than the Giants one, but who knows if the Jets would be amenable to it?
The Jets have a new head coach in Adam Gase to develop Darnold, and as their defense continues to get stronger and stronger, Gase is going to have to take the lumps that come along with a young quarterback.
Why not pay two first-round picks to skip that developmental process?
The Jets probably don’t have as good of a supporting cast offensively as the Giants do for Wilson, and they also don’t have a second-round pick in this year’s draft to work with.
There is always going to be give and take for teams in trades like this but look how it has worked out for the Chicago Bears, who don’t have a pick until the 3rd round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Do you think they regret trading for Khalil Mack?
Absolutely not. He’s a franchise cornerstone piece for them.
Next. The latest 2019 NFL mock drafts. dark
If you have the ability to get Russell Wilson, you should be willing to pay a ridiculous price to do it.
If you have the ability to get a tremendous hall of draft picks and/or players for a guy like Wilson who wants out? You should probably take it, as hard as that may be to swallow.