Russell Wilson’s camp has apparently released another list of preferred 2022 trade destinations. Which ones make the most sense?
Although his injury is part of it, perhaps the reason why Russell Wilson hasn’t quite looked like himself in 2021 is because he’s got one eye on 2022.
Over the offseason, there were reports that Wilson might want out of Seattle and there have been rumors and reports of friction between him and the Seahawks’ front office now for years.
Could 2022 finally be the year he demands a trade out of town? At this point, his camp has now leaked a preferred trade list not once but twice. His list from the 2021 offseason has been amended, per Jordan Schultz.
Russell Wilson has a new list of three preferred trade destinations
🚨 Sources: Russell Wilson would strongly consider waiving his no-trade clause for the #Giants, #Broncos and #Saints. pic.twitter.com/40Eude2zEP
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 8, 2021
Of the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Denver Broncos, which team makes the most sense for Wilson?
Let’s look at some of the most important criteria and where each of these three teams would rank.
Coaching
Best: New Orleans Saints
Worst: New York Giants
The New Orleans Saints have the best coach of this trio of teams in Sean Payton. Payton has been one of the best coaches in the NFL for a really long time, and that obviously does appeal to players.
This is an advantage for the Saints over a team like the Denver Broncos, who don’t currently have clarity in the coaching department. Will Broncos GM George Paton give Vic Fangio another year? Who will be the Broncos’ OC in 2022? Will the Broncos hire a new head coach before attempting to make a trade for Wilson?
The New York Giants, for the time being, don’t have an offensive coordinator, and Joe Judge has been less inspiring than Vic Fangio up to this point.
Roster, cap space
Best: Denver Broncos
Worst: New York Giants
New Orleans Saints fans may not like to hear this, and they certainly may not agree with it, but as of right now, the Denver Broncos have a better roster looking ahead to 2022, and they certainly have more cap space.
The Saints have proven they can manipulate the salary cap as needed, so that’s not an issue, but the fact of the matter is, the core of players in Denver is the most impressive of the trio of teams Wilson has apparently narrowed down to.
Denver’s offensive line is better than the Giants, though it may not be as good as the Saints. The Broncos’ offensive weapons include recently re-signed Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, as well as breakout rookie running back Javonte Williams, young tight end Noah Fant, and 2020 first-round pick Jerry Jeudy.
The Saints obviously have a strong core of players on both sides of the ball as well, but the Broncos are younger and deeper.
I think you could make a strong argument for the Saints here as a team that is a Russell Wilson away from contention, but the Denver Broncos look that way as well right now and may have a bigger championship window.
The Giants are not even competitive in this regard with the Broncos and Saints.
Market
Best: Who cares?
Worst: None
The current face of the NFL plays in Kansas City with the Chiefs. How much more small market does it get?
The fact of the matter is, big markets don’t matter all that much anymore, although being in New York might allow Russell Wilson’s wife, Ciara, to be closer to more beneficial opportunities.
Nothing a team-appointed private jet can’t fix.
The reality here is, you can be a superstar in the NFL in any city these days. The league is not going to let its star players go unnoticed.
Denver and New Orleans have had way more exposure in the last decade than the New York Jets, anyway. Peyton Manning was arguably the face of the NFL in his four seasons with the Broncos.
Drew Brees and the Saints were weekly appointment viewing for NFL fans for 15 years.
Playing in New York is not going to all of a sudden open the floodgates of opportunity for Russell Wilson and Ciara, who are already both extremely rich and famous.
Which team has the most assets to move for Russell Wilson?
Draft capital
Best: New York Giants
Worst: New Orleans Saints
In terms of giving up draft capital, the New York Giants have the most immediate assets to give up. They are currently projected to have multiple top-10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft courtesy of the Chicago Bears.
If you start looking ahead at future draft capital, this matters less and less especially considering the fact that this year’s draft class is considered to be anything but top-heavy.
The Broncos made a trade involving Von Miller to acquire extra second-and third-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft to hopefully help in any kind of QB pursuit, or at least to give them flexibility.
Each of these three teams has at least four picks in the first three rounds at this point in time.
Cap space
Best: Denver Broncos
Worst: New Orleans Saints
The Denver Broncos are projected to be almost $50 million under the 2022 salary cap, and that’s before trimming any “fat” off the books. The Saints are almost $60 million over the cap.
The Giants are projected at just under $4.6 million under the cap.
What does this mean?
This means the Broncos would not only have the most flexibility on their books to add Wilson to the mix, but it would also mean that they have the most flexibility to add other free agents in addition to Wilson if they so choose.
And a player like Wilson would attract attention from other free agents.
Who makes the most sense in a potential Russell Wilson trade?
As of this particular point in time, the two teams on Russell Wilson’s list of preferred trade destinations in the 2022 offseason that make the most sense are clearly the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos.
The Saints have the best coach and arguably the strongest current roster of the three teams.
The Broncos have the most cap space to add Wilson and other talent around him as well as arguably a better roster than the Saints, certainly a younger and deeper core of stud players on offense at the playmaker position.
The New York Giants do play in a bigger market city than Denver or New Orleans, but will that outweigh the other factors that would clearly lead to better on-field success for Wilson?
The Giants also have two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, both of which could wind up being top-10 picks, and while those are usually attractive, they would be much more attractive if this year’s draft had great top-end talent, which it doesn’t.
Strictly in terms of the football side of things, the Denver Broncos appear to be a quarterback away from legitimately being an annual contender. They are also in a position right now to potentially let Russell Wilson choose his offensive coordinator for 2022 and beyond.
The Saints might also be a QB away from contention, but is their window as big as Denver’s?
It wouldn’t shock me if Peyton Manning, who still lives in Denver and has close ties to the Broncos organization, started recruiting Wilson in a big way, showing him that the Broncos are currently in the best position of the teams he’s interested in (and a similar position to what they were when Peyton signed there in 2012) to win championships over the next 4-5 years.