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Whew, that escalated quickly.
According to several media outlets, including the Athletic, Russell Wilson officially wants out of Seattle.
Per the Athletic, “Russell Wilson’s camp has broached trade destinations with the Seahawks, and teams like the Dolphins, Jets, Saints and Raiders have been mentioned”.
That in news is pretty shocking, but not as much as this next piece which states that “some people in the NFL think a trade could happen in the near future.”
With all of the offseason trade speculation surrounding Houston’s Deshaun Watson, many had not taken prior reports on Wilson seriously. However, with prominent news outlets like the Athletic reporting that both sides are frustrated, it seems like we could actually see Wilson leave the vaunted NFC West.
Not an understatement to say the Seahawks would never recover from trading Russell Wilson.
— Johnny Venerable (@JohnnyVenerable) February 25, 2021
Please lord let it happen for my Cardinals.
It would be hard to understate the impact of a Wilson trade on the remaining NFC West teams, including the Arizona Cardinals. Regardless of the return package Seattle would receive, they’ve been blessed with top-5 quarterback play for the large majority of Wilson’s time with the team.
Russell Wilson, during his nine year NFL career, has only missed the playoffs one time. His worst finish as a starter is 9-7.
Wilson is reportedly unhappy that he doesn’t have more of a say on certain personnel decisions, which if you look at Seattle’s recent draft history, is totally understandable.
Any kind of trade, no matter of the return, would be an enormous win for the Cardinals and their post season chances in 2021. Head coach Pete Carroll was famously 14-18 prior to Wilson’s arrival in 2012.
The Arizona Cardinals, according to Las Vegas Insiders, are currently picked to finish fourth in the NFC West in 2021. One would assume a Wilson departure would change those odds. Wilson is famously 7-2 for his career against the redbirds at State Farm Stadium.
NFL Network’s Mike Silver had previously reported that any trade to net Wilson would have to start with three first round picks.
UPDATE:
Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson has not demanded a trade, his agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN. Wilson has told the Seahawks he wants to play in Seattle but, if a trade were considered, the only teams he would go to are the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, Bears.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2021
This piece would suggest Wilson is attempting to save face with the Seattle fan base to not appear as the villain. Again, the biggest difference in this situation when compared to Houston/Watson is that Seattle does not appear to be completely opposed to dealing Russell Wilson.