There’s no better time for the Seattle Seahawks to move off from star quarterback Russell Wilson than right now. The latest reporting from Ian Rapoport just strengthens that argument.
Wilson is reportedly willing to look at different options for his future. If that’s indeed the case, Seattle needs to be bold and blaze a new path forward using a massive trade haul for Wilson as a stepping stone to the future.
It was a rough season for the Seattle Seahawks
It appeared that the relationship between Wilson and the Seahawks had all but tattered last offseason. In fact, there was serious speculation that he could end up with the Chicago Bears. Reportedly, the two sides couldn’t come to terms, but it was close.
All that hot stove talk ended up cooling down, and Wilson survived the 2021 season with the Seahawks. Survived, though dramatic, is a completely appropriate word in this context because that’s exactly what he did.
There was no thriving in Seattle this season, which is something that the Seahawks are not used to.
Seattle went 7-10, and Wilson had an overall so-so season. He missed multiple games due to a thumb injury and finished with middle-of-the-road statistics. He had a 53.9 QBR and completed just 64.8% of his passes, which was in the bottom half of the league among qualified quarterbacks. His offense finished in the bottom half of the league in yards per game (323.9), and 16th in points per game (23.2).
Notably, one of Wilson’s biggest off-season gripes was the fact that the Seahawks weren’t giving him ample protection upfront. This season probably didn’t help the Hawks in that regard. Wilson was sacked 33 times in 14 games. That’s nowhere near the 51 sacks Joe Burrow endured, but fellow superstar quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, and Tom Brady were sacked less despite playing in more games.
It was the first time since 2017 and only the second time in the Wilson era the Seahawks did not make the playoffs.
Ian Rapoport’s newest report suggests Wilson is open to playing elsewhere
Wilson has been in Seattle for almost a decade and has accomplished a lot, including a Super Bowl win. Sometimes it’s just time to move on, though, and it sounds like that is at least something that Wilson is once again considering.
This is likely to be the first of many reports on Wilson’s mindset this offseason, and it’s worth noting that it wasn’t necessarily the most robust or definitive report. Still, Rapaport did relay that Wilson wants to take a look at different options.
“Sources say Russell Wilson wants to explore his options to see what else might be out there for him,” Rapaport wrote. “Wilson has not demanded a trade, and it’s not clear if he will. But at the least, those close to Wilson say he wants to investigate other destinations to see if those would put him in a better position to win another championship and create the legacy he sees for himself.”
This is the perfect time for the Seahawks to move on from Wilson
Rapaport did also relay that Seattle owner Jody Allen has urged both head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider to do everything in their power to right the ship after the disappointing season.
“Whatever is there, we got to exhaust every opportunity for our club and right from the owner, she wants us to take a look at every single opportunity to better the franchise,” Carroll said, via KCPQ FOX 13 Sports in Seattle.
If that mandate is accurate, and why wouldn’t it be, trading Wilson should be more than just a hypothetical. It should be something the Seahawks seriously look at this offseason.
While trading a franchise quarterback may seem like a complete rebuild on paper, a trade for Wilson would return the Seahawks quite a war chest of assets to work with, and it would help them retool rather than rebuild.
It’s not like Seattle’s going to trade its franchise quarterback away for peanuts, after all. Any team wanting to trade for Wilson will have to give up premium assets in return for the superstar quarterback. One imagines any potential package would have to include multiple high draft picks and maybe even some actual known assets.
For instance, the New York Giants could be an exciting option for Wilson. New York is interesting because it provides him with a major media market to operate in, which would help him with his personal brand. You’d have to imagine his wife, Ciara, would like it as well. Any hypothetical trade involving the Giants would undoubtedly have to involve their two first-round draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
So yes, on the one hand, the Seahawks would be getting rid of their franchise quarterback. On the other hand, they could immediately retool with two young players for the future in this hypothetical situation.
Either way, the Seahawks need to strike while the iron is hot.
The worst thing that could happen is for this to drag on and for Wilson to grow unhappy. Instead of being open to a trade, he could decide to demand one or hold out. That would be a terrible end to what has otherwise been a tremendous relationship between quarterback and franchise That situation would also see the Seahawks lose leverage. Right now, they can ask for just about anything they want in return for Wilson. If Wilson does publically become unhappy, though, any team on the other side of a potential trade will know that it doesn’t have to give up as much for the star quarterback.
If a trade is going to happen, and it sounds like it’s a possibility, this latest report from rapoport makes it much more likely.
Stats courtesy of ESPN and Pro Football Reference.
RELATED: NFL Insider Peter King Predicts the Futures of Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll With the Seahawks: ‘I’m Not a Big Fan of That’
The post Ian Rapoport’s Latest Russell Wilson Update Makes a Trade the Best Option for Seattle Seahawks appeared first on Sportscasting | Pure Sports.
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By: Andrew Kulha
Title: Ian Rapoport’s Latest Russell Wilson Update Makes a Trade the Best Option for Seattle Seahawks
Sourced From: www.sportscasting.com/ian-rapoports-russell-wilson-update-trade-the-best-option-seattle-seahawks/
Published Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2022 02:15:13 +0000
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