2022 NFL Draft: Why a Denver, Seattle QB Trade Makes Sense
By Kyle Edmond
2022 NFL Draft: Why a Denver, Seattle trade with QBs and picks makes sense
The 2022 NFL Draft will be here before we know it and trade talks will surely ramp up in the coming months prior. Two teams that are likely to be rumored in said talks are the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. But could these two teams have the right pieces to agree to an ideal trade for both parties?
The Denver Broncos
We’ll start with Denver. The Broncos have the framework to be a successful team. They have plenty of offensive weapons at wide receiver with Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and more. The tight end unit is solid with Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam. Javonte Williams has shown flashes and the defense is getting better. What they don’t have is an offensive line and quarterback.
Denver is destined for a favorable draft slot in the first round and have the draft capital to make a move if they wanted with multiple picks in the second, third and fifth rounds that could sweeten any trade. The problem is that trading for a quarterback limits their ability to address the offensive line long-term and saving the draft capital for the offensive line all but counts them out of finding an answer under center this season.
The Broncos either have to find a quarterback that can play behind an average-at-best offensive line or an average-at-best quarterback to play behind an upgraded offensive line. Solving both problems this offseason will be hard, but doing one of the two is possible.
The Seattle Seahawks
Jumping to Seattle, the Seahawks have been putting off a full rebuild for a long time now. It started with the dismantling of the Legion of Boom and has slowly spread to the rest of the roster. Now, this will be just the third time during Pete Carroll’s tenure that the team has missed the playoffs, but it could present the excuse to do a bit of a teardown.
Russell Wilson is coming to a point in his contract where trading him could make sense. There’s been talk of D.K. Metcalf being unhappy. The running backs are good when healthy, but the injuries have created a revolving door at the position and that could be attributed to an offensive line that has never been great and could lose multiple pieces this offseason. That’s just the offense.
On the defensive side, Bobby Wagner is set to be a free agent after the 2022 season and Al Woods will hit the market this year. The only solid pieces on either side of the ball signed on for 2023 or beyond are Wilson, Jamal Adams and Tyler Lockett.
Taking all of that into consideration, the Seahawks also don’t have a first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft due to the Jamal Adams trade. They do have an extra fourth from the same deal, but Seattle currently has just six selections in the 2022 NFL Draft, missing a sixth in addition to the first. With the rest of the NFC West fighting for the playoffs, Seattle could step back and plan a few years down the road for when regression hits those teams.
The Trade
There’s a way for both of these teams to solve some of their problems in one move. Seattle can recoup some of their lost draft capital from previous deals and begin a brief and small rebuild. Denver can add a veteran quarterback who knows how to play behind an average-at-best offensive line while throwing to a plethora of offensive options.
The gist of this deal is that Russell Wilson gets to go to a team with plenty of weapons and who is looking for a quarterback savior. The league has witnessed what Tom Brady has done with the weapons in Tampa Bay and that intrigue could spark Wilson’s interest and convince him to waive his no-trade clause.
Denver also clearly has the assets to pull this type of deal off. Even with clearing out the first two rounds this year and a pick next year, the Broncos would still have eight picks left to spare from rounds three through seven of the 2022 NFL Draft. They also currently have $47 million in cap available next year, so taking on Wilson’s $19 million salary ($37 million cap hit) would be possible.
As for Seattle, they get a chance to kickstart their roster. Three additional picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, including what will most likely be a Top 12 pick, helps tremendously. The additional pick next year continues that process down the line.
As for Drew Lock, he gets an opportunity to start with a clean slate and learn from Pete Carroll and a young-and-budding Shane Waldron. There’s potential with Lock, but a defensive-minded coach in Vic Fangio might not be the best fit. While Carroll’s background is also on defense, he’s been a head coach long enough to understand what things to tweak with Lock.
In the end, both teams end up with what they want and need. Denver gets the superstar quarterback that doesn’t need an outstanding offensive line. Seattle gets the chance to do a quick rebuild with draft capital as well as a young quarterback option for the immediate future. While other deals will obviously be talked about, this one seems to make sense for both sides involved.