Per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Russell Wilson “would strongly consider waiving his no-trade clause” to three teams. Which team works best for the Seattle Seahawks to work out a trade with?
Let me preface everything I am about to write is I am not hoping Russell Wilson gets traded. He is the best Seahawks quarterback in franchise history. He hasn’t been his best in 2021 but he has been great for most of a decade and is still just 33 years old. Wilson has a lot of years left.
Also, every reporter has to keep their name in readers’ minds and sometimes it’s easy to inflame a situation with a popular player whose team is having a bad year. Jordan Schultz has a lot more inside information than I have. However, I am a little leary of a person who pins to their Twitter profile some news they broke weeks ago. Like, “Hey! Look at me! I knew something before most other people did! Yay!”
Which team should the Seattle Seahawks trade Russell Wilson to?
Maybe Russell Wilson does want out of Seattle as the team is likely in for a rebuild soon and this means a lesser chance for Wilson to win another Super Bowl with the Seahawks. Wilson is also a businessman off the field and one of the teams he reportedly would waive his no-trade clause for is the Giants. As in, the New York football Giants. New York is one of the entertainment meccas of the world and Wilson may want to live there so that after he retires he remains in the limelight.
So let’s play this latest game of “Where’s Russ going?” Because according to Schultz, Russell Wilson would waive his no-trade clause for the Giants, New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos. Which of these three teams would be the best team for Seattle to trade Wilson to?
Number 3: Denver Broncos
At least two of these teams are going to give up players as well as draft picks to get Russell Wilson. Both the Broncos and the Saints do have first-round picks but neither team has a high pick in 2022 and each team only has one first-round choice in both 2022 and 2023. Denver currently has the 14th overall pick in next year’s draft.
Basically, if Denver were to offer their first-round pick in 2022 and first in 2023 for Russell Wilson, that isn’t enough. If the pick stays 14th, that isn’t high enough for Seattle to choose a relatively sure thing to help remake the team. And Denver should be better in 2023 if they were able to get Wilson which means their pick (if they didn’t trade it to Seattle) would be lower.
However, if Denver were to offer both the first pick in 2022 and first in 2023 along with one of its two second-round picks in 2022 plus center Lloyd Cushenberry III then maybe that would be OK. There are still too many question marks to make the deal happen, however.
This means no deal really and the Seahawks holding on to Wilson. I mean, Wilson has no real power until at least after 2023 because he is signed through then. Seattle could franchise-tag him even in 2024. But Cushenberry could help fix Seattle’s center issues for many years and Seattle could find some solid picks in those first two rounds.
And no, Denver isn’t going to trade its good receivers because why would you add Wilson and give up his weapons? That would be dumb and defeat the purpose of acquiring a quarterback who could make the most out of a good group of receivers.
Number 2: New Orleans Saints
Obviously, if the Seahawks do trade Russell Wilson, they need multiple first rounds picks back. Otherwise, there is no use in moving him at all. (And again, I don’t see the point in trading Wilson, but Schultz said what he said so we might as well comment on it.) While New Orleans does have a first-round choice in 2022 and in 2023, just as the Broncos do, the Saints could entice Seattle more than Denver by offering a good young pass rusher.
As it stands currently, New Orleans has the 11th pick in the 2022 draft but there is still quite a bit of the season left and this could easily change. And we can assume that if Wilson goes to New Orleans that New Orleans would be better next year and the value of their 2023 first-round choice goes down.
For Wilson, going to New Orleans would be a good move. Saints coach Sean Payton is used to working with Drew Brees and Brees, like Wilson, is a shorter quarterback. Wilson would probably learn to throw through lanes he never thought possible in Seattle and Payton would get the best of out Wilson.
But if the Saints could offer both first-round picks the next two years plus edge rusher Marcus Davenport, that might be good enough. Yes, Davenport does get banged-up somewhat easily but he also has tremendous ability and would instantly be the Seahawks best pass rusher. Davenport is also signed through 2022 so if he ends up getting injured again, Seattle isn’t on the hook for lots of years. But Davenport’s upside is too enticing to pass up.
Number 1: New York Giants
Now we get to the clear number one choice for Seattle to trade Russell Wilson to. If Wilson truly is open to waiving his no-trade clause and one of those teams is really the Giants then it is clear why: Moving to New York helps Wilson off-the-field (and his wife too) more than on it. But for Seattle, this would be a win too.
That is if the Giants are willing to part with both their current top-ten draft picks in 2022 and possibly quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones isn’t great but he at least has starting NFL experience and is young enough to possibly get better. Is he a good long-term starter in the NFL? Doubtful. Is he a quarterback Seattle wants to build its team around? Again, doubtful.
But if Seattle gets both first-round choices from New York, one of those needs to be a quarterback. Jones is signed through 2022 so if nothing else he would bring NFL experience and nothing more than a one-year commitment.
In the meantime, the Seahawks would save tons of cap room by trading Wilson, get a one-year (at worst) replacement for him all the while drafting Wilson’s replacement and a quarterback who should have high upside.
I am not saying to trade Russell Wilson. But if he is truly open to waiving his no-trade clause to go to the Saints, Broncos and Giants and Seattle does move him, the Giants need to be the team they trade Wilson to.