Russell Wilson is reportedly unhappy with his situation in Seattle and has a few teams he’d approve a trade to. Which of those teams are the best options?
Russell Wilson took the NFL by storm in 2012 after he was a third-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks and went on to beat Matt Flynn for the starting job despite Flynn signing a huge contract the previous offseason.
In Wilson’s nine years as the quarterback of the Seahawks, he’s led them to a winning record every year and they missed the playoffs just one time.
Wilson has also remained healthy, starting all 16 regular-season games every year since he entered the league. This is especially impressive when you look at his sack numbers, which is what caused all the recent stir between him and the Seahawks.
Since the start of 2019, Russell Wilson has been pressured* 357 times, the most of any QB over the last 2 seasons.
— Pro Football Reference (@pfref) February 25, 2021
*pressures = hurries + hits + sacks
Wilson has been pressured more than any quarterback in the league over the last two seasons. He continues to persevere and win games, but his frustrations are understandable. The franchise has repeatedly ignored addressing the offensive line and that’s why him being traded is even on the table right now.
While Wilson does appear to want to remain with the organization that drafted him nearly a decade ago, he’s made it clear that there are other teams he’d be interested in playing for. These teams are the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints, all of whom boast at least average O-lines and could actually protect Wilson.
Russell 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 and Bears, his agent Mark Rodgers said to ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2021
Let’s rank the four teams Wilson has an interest in from worst fit to best fit.
Russell Wilson trade landing spot No. 4: Dallas Cowboys
Seeing the Cowboys on this list was a bit of a surprise. They’re not good and their offensive line really hasn’t been the same as it once was. In 2018, Dak Prescott was sacked a whopping 56 times and while yes, a lot of that was due to injuries to the line, that seems to be a trend with this group.
The NFC East is winnable, so going from the toughest division in football to the easiest would be nice for Wilson. The lure of playing for the Cowboys could also be a nice incentive, but other than that, there really wouldn’t be much good to come from playing in Dallas.
Russell Wilson trade landing spot No. 3: Chicago Bears
The Bears have been searching for a quarterback like Wilson for quite a while so they’d be thrilled to have him in Chicago.
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The problem here is that the Bears don’t have a ton of weapons for him to throw to, as Allen Robinson is hitting free agency. They do have a good defense though and could be a similar team to what the 2013 Seahawks looked like, where the defense led the way to a Super Bowl title.
Matt Nagy is on the hot seat in the Windy City and bringing Wilson in could not only save his job but keep him with the Bears for another four or five years at least. While it could be a job-saving trade for him, Wilson would have to go up against Aaron Rodgers twice a year. Plus, the pressures of playing in Chicago would be far greater than the pressures of having to play in Seattle.
Wilson would immediately be the best quarterback the Bears have ever had and they should be willing to trade everything they have to get him. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean this trade would work out for the better.
Bears fans are probably hoping this trade gets done, but out of the four teams Wilson is interested in playing for, Chicago isn’t one of the better landing spots for him.
Russell Wilson trade landing spot No. 2: Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have had a pretty good offensive line in recent years and that has to be one of the biggest appeals to Wilson when listing the Raiders as an option. He’d also enjoy throwing to the likes of Darren Waller, Henry Ruggs, Nelson Agholor, and Hunter Renfrow while having a real running back to hand off to in the form of Josh Jacobs.
Jon Gruden would love having Wilson in town, as it’d give him the quarterback he’s dreamed of having ever since he re-entered the NFL. He’d have a mobile quarterback and one who has no problems airing the football out when it calls for it.
The reason the Raiders aren’t No. 1 is because of their division. The AFC West isn’t tough by any stretch of the imagination, but Patrick Mahomes resides with the Chiefs, who have owned the division for five years now, and Justin Herbert is also looking like he’ll be pretty good.
Wilson currently resides in the toughest division in football, so the AFC West would be an upgrade for him, but still. Playing Mahomes twice a year? No thanks.
Russell Wilson trade landing spot No. 1: New Orleans Saints
The best possible landing spot for Russell Wilson out of the teams he’s interested in would be the Saints, who could find themselves without Drew Brees as their quarterback for the first time since the 2005 season. Brees hasn’t officially announced his retirement yet, but after watching him attempt to throw the ball in the playoffs, one would think it’d be coming sooner rather than later.
If Brees is on his way out the door, Wilson would keep the Saints as the kings of the NFC South and keep them in that Super Bowl conversation. The Saints have a good offensive line, one of the best in the league even, and they have plenty of offensive weapons for Wilson should he decide that’s where he wants to go.
Michael Thomas should hopefully be healthy and good to go next year, Alvin Kamara is one of the best running backs in the league (if not the best), and Emmanuel Sanders started to hit his stride at the end of last season. These would be automatic upgrades from what Wilson has at his disposal in Seattle and if the Seahawks are willing, the Saints would love to have him in the Big Easy.
It’ll be interesting to see what transpires between Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Will he stay in Seattle or will he be traded and finishing his career elsewhere?