Russell Wilson business rumors: screening of four potential blockbusters moves to Cowboys, Raiders, Saints, Bears

If the Houston Texans wouldn’t listen to commercial inquiries about star quarterback Deshaun Watson, it’s a safe bet the Seattle Seahawks won’t be in a rush to answer calls about Russell Wilson. Where is it? Hours after The Athletic reported that Wilson’s relationship with his one and only NFL team became increasingly difficult – to the point that Wilson’s side apparently even discussed potential business destinations with Seattle – the quarterback agent identified with ESPN four different teams that Wilson would be comfortable playing for in the event of a future deal: the Bears, Cowboys, Raiders and Saints.

All four are in different positions, and given that three of them share a conference with Seattle, a potential trade seems overdone, no matter how frustrating Wilson is with the Seahawks. But this offseason has already seen three top callers swap teams – Carson Wentz, Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford – and two of them were widely seen as long shots to deal with after the 2020 campaign due to their contracts. In other words, anything can really happen when it comes to NFL QBs, or at least that’s what it feels like as the official free agency kicks off.

So let’s go crazy for a few minutes and pretend Wilson keeps pushing buttons and ultimately forces Seattle’s hand. Let’s say the Seahawks receive offers from Wilson’s four favorite teams. What the hell should they give up to make a deal? That’s really anyone’s guess, as there is no recent precedent for a deal involving a Wilson-caliber QB, but here’s our take on a few potential deals:

The bears receive:	QB Russell Wilson, fourth round 2022
The Seahawks receive:	QB Nick Foles, TE Jimmy Graham, DT Akiem Hicks, first round 2021, first round 2022, first round 2023

Chicago is in desperate need of an instant and long overdue QB fix. Acquiring Wilson would almost certainly buy general manager Ryan Pace new life for Jason Licht. Demand would be particularly strong within the NFC, but the Bears would have no problem making nearly $ 20 million by shipping Foles, Graham and Hicks out of town. The latter is the only high-end asset, and even he’s 31, but Seattle could easily find use for Foles and Graham (welcome home!) As temporary starters in a likely year of ‘reset’. The real compensation here is the trio of early players, who are expected to help Seattle unearth their next QB of the future by 2022.

Cowboys ship Dak Prescott to Las Vegas in three-team mega-deal

Cowboys receive:	QB Russell Wilson, third round 2021 (Raiders)
The Seahawks receive:	QB Derek Carr, first round 2021 (Raiders), first round 2022 (Cowboys), fourth round 2022 (Cowboys)
Raiders receive:	QB Dak Prescott, third round 2022 (Seahawks)

Sacred Nutcracker, is that a big deal, but bear with us. First, who in his mind thinks Jerry Jones would turn down the chance to bring an even more proven superstar to the USA squad, especially after hesitating to lock Dak up? Second, as long as Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock praised Derek Carr, we all know they would embrace an upgrade if it was substantial, which would allow them to have a long-term place without playing in the project. Here is the net breakdown for each of the three parts:

Cowboys get: Russell Wilson, third round 2021
Cowboys lose: Dak Prescott, first round 2022, fourth round 2022

Seahawks get: Derek Carr, first round 2021, first round 2022, fourth round 2022
The Seahawks lose: Russell Wilson, third round 2022

Raiders win: Dak Prescott, third round 2022
Raiders lose: Derek Carr, first round 2021, third round 2021

Dallas and Vegas get obvious upgrades from the QB by essentially paying each a first-round pick, and Seattle downgrades to Carr while essentially adding two firsts – either to build around their new QB or to rebuild after Carr in the year or the next two.

Raiders drop first-two Derek Carr to bring Russ to Vegas

Raiders receive:	QB Russell Wilson, third round 2022
The Seahawks receive:	QB Derek Carr, first round 2021, first round 2022, second round 2022

It’s not too different from the three-team possibility, except without the Cowboys. Vegas still wins a major QB upgrade replacing Carr with Wilson, who has a huge fan in Gruden and would instantly bolster the Raiders’ status as AFC West contenders. The Seahawks, meanwhile, would get a pair of firsts and jump one round in the 2022 draft, not to mention a solid QB with an acceptable contract to Carr.

The saints receive:	QB Russell Wilson, fourth round 2022, fifth round 2023
The Seahawks receive:	QB Taysom Hill, OT Ryan Ramcyzk, DE Cameron Jordan, first round 2021, first round 2022, second round 2022

The Seahawks’ transport might seem massive, as it contains three players and three picks, but consider Seattle would be reluctant to keep Wilson in the NFC, then consider that two of the three players – Hill and Jordan – could very well be victims in a year. or two. Hill is more of a throw-in here, but as a one-year stage for a race-based attack, it would suffice. The Saints would save $ 25 million by parting ways with veterans, not to mention a seamless transition from a once elite QB to a now elite QB. Seattle, meanwhile, would benefit from an instant, long-term offensive line upgrade, a short-term elite rusher, and plenty of rebuilding capital.