Russ Not Leaving the Seahawks Just Yet
Over the last six weeks, the NFL world has been buzzing over reports that Russell Wilson might be dealt in this offseason. News flash, he is most likely not going anywhere.
Several reports have come out that the Chicago Bears were going to make an offer that the Seahawks couldn’t refuse for the disgruntled QB. Negotiations did take place between the Seahawks and Bears, but the Seahawks confirmed they were never interested in moving their franchise quarterback.
The trade offer has reportedly come out, and it is definitely quite the haul if the Seahawks did decide to take the trade. The massive trade offer supposedly included three first-round draft picks, one third-round pick and two veteran starters for Russell Wilson. Khalil Mack, who is arguably the best outside linebacker in the NFL, has been reported to be a part of the offer. Former Pro Bowl defensive end Akiem Hicks was also reportedly tossed into the enormous trade offer. However, it must be noted that neither the Chicago Bears nor the Seattle Seahawks have confirmed whether Mack or Hicks were officially offered in a trade package for Wilson.
No trade was made between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears have seemingly moved on, signing Andy Dalton to seemingly be the starter in Chicago.
via The Seattle Times
Despite being one of the most sacked quarterbacks in 2020, and for most of his career, Russell was still ranked the sixth-best QB in the NFL, according to PFF. Even if the Seahawks were going to get a lot back for Wilson, the reality is that Russ is nearly irreplaceable. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers are the only quarterbacks in the league right now that may be able to replace Wilson, but those options are not on the table.
Along with Russ being irreplaceable, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is turning 70 this September. There is no way at this point in Pete’s career that he is going to take the chance of doing a rebuild project. The biggest reason why Russ is most likely staying in Seattle is the enormous dead cap hit the Seahawks would take on if they were to part ways. $39 million of dead cap space to be exact. No team in the NFL would want to deal with something like that, especially if it’s your franchise quarterback unless you’re the Philadelphia Eagles.
The trade rumors started when Russell came out and openly said, “I am frustrated on getting hit too much.” Russell is already the 20th most sacked QB in NFL history and he is only 32 years old. He is easily on pace to take the number one overall spot on that list.
In order to fix the hostility between Wilson and the Seahawks, the team must go out and get him a reliable offensive line. We have all been waiting to see if the Seahawks will oblige to Wilson’s request of getting him more protection, and as of yesterday, they are finally on track to do so.
The Seahawks have struck a deal to acquire La Vegas Raiders guard Gabe Jackson, in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick. Following the trade, Russell Wilson went to Twitter and liked a tweet in regards to the acquisition.
via NBC Sports
Wilson and his agent have to be celebrating this move. Gabe Jackson is coming off of a year where he only allowed one single sack for the Raiders. Jackson is also extremely durable, only missing more than three games in a season once in his career. In 2020, Jackson is slated to have a $9.6 million cap hit for the Seahawks.
There is still some work to be done on the offensive line for the Seahawks. Center is a big concern that the Seahawks need to address. The bottom line is, the Seahawks are doing everything they can at this point to fix their relationship with Russell Wilson. Seahawks fans should finally be able to relax as it appears Wilson is on track to be under center for at least one more year in Seattle.