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On Thursday morning, The Athletic published an in-depth look at the rift between Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. As Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks reported, the divide has grown so deep that the QB’s camp has broached the topic of a trade with Seattle. In April 2019, Wilson signed a mega-extension: four years, $140 million and — crucially — a no-trade clause. That means Wilson has control over a move to another team.
Wilson’s agent told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he would only consider going to the Saints, Raiders, Bears or Cowboys. So, naturally, we asked those teams’ beat writers to make their best offer for Wilson. They lay out their cases below, and Michael-Shawn Dugar plays the part of Seahawks GM John Schneider/Wilson, evaluating his options and ultimately making a decision.
Our Raiders offer
What can you offer in a trade? How about the Raiders’ all-time passing leader? Seattle would have to take Derek Carr back, and he was a top-10ish quarterback last year who is only making $19.5 million next season. I don’t think the Seahawks want to add much more salary, so we would throw in a 2022 first-round pick, second-year guard John Simpson — who would start for them — and second-year special teams war daddy/safety Tanner Muse. That’s the best we can do.
How can it work with your team’s cap? The Raiders would have only a $2.5 million salary cap hit if they moved Carr. They are over the projected cap now anyway, so in addition to recently waived Tyrell Williams, they could also dump Lamarcus Joyner, Marcus Mariota and maybe even Trent Brown to free up plenty of space. —Vic Tafur
Our Bears offer
What can you offer in a trade? The Bears are fortunate to be in this group, because having the 20th pick to trade doesn’t sound so bad comparatively. They’d have to start with at least the next two first-round picks, and maybe throw in a mid-rounder for good measure. With everything that’s gone wrong for them at quarterback over the past 70 years, can they afford to not have the best offer? Then how about throwing in a former Super Bowl MVP in Nick Foles! Every team has loved having Foles in the locker room. You can’t put a price on that. Let’s add in Jaylon Johnson, a 21-year-old corner on a rookie contract who showed a ton of promise last year.
How can it work with your team’s cap? The cap situation isn’t great in Chicago, but it’s better than in New Orleans and Dallas. The Bears can create more than $20 million in cap space with some veteran cuts (Bobby Massie, Buster Skrine, Jimmy Graham) and a cap-number-reducing extension for Kyle Fuller. Foles would still be on the books, so the Bears would probably have to consider cutting Akiem Hicks for more cap relief, especially if they want to have enough room to pair Wilson with Allen Robinson, who’s set to be a free agent. —Kevin Fishbain
Our Saints offer
What can you offer in a trade? I’d assume the Seahawks would want a quarterback in return. So we’ll start with Taysom Hill. Is he Wilson? No. But he carries some similar attributes and could be a stopgap for someone else. Other teams will offer more established quarterbacks. So that’s why I’m upping the ante and adding three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore in the mix. He’d become Seattle’s best cornerback since Richard Sherman. I’d also feel comfortable adding 2021 first-round and third-round picks and a 2022 first-round pick. This seems similar to the compensation in the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade. New Orleans and Seattle were involved in a blockbuster trade a few years back involving Jimmy Graham and Max Unger, so both sides have already worked together on massive deals.
How can it work with your team’s cap? This situation seems crazy, but this trade would actually help the Saints’ salary cap drama. The Saints stand somewhere between $60 million-$70 million over the cap. Wilson would only count $19 million against the Saints’ 2021 cap. Hill’s cap charge is $16 million. Lattimore’s 2021 cap charge is set for $10 million in the final year of his rookie deal. The Saints could manipulate Wilson’s number to help the cap even further. Of course the Saints would still have work to do, but that would be the case with or without Wilson. —Larry Holder
Our Cowboys offer
What can you offer in a trade? It seems more likely that the Cowboys would just sign their own franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott, to a contract extension. But if they were interested in a trade for Wilson, they would probably be including Prescott. In that scenario, Prescott would have to be on board with going to Seattle, because he would have to sign a franchise-tag tender. Seattle would then be looking to sign him to a long-term deal that would make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players. The Cowboys could also include the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft and a third-rounder next year. If the draft compensation is not enough, a different deal could potentially include wide receiver Michael Gallup, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Gallup is a 1,000-yard receiver who has developed a good rapport with Prescott.
How can it work with the Cowboys’ cap? Some restructuring of several veteran contracts would be needed. The Cowboys right now are projected to have around $17 million in cap space for 2021. They’re hoping to sign Prescott so they can lower his cap hit for this season and create some room to sign free agents and draft picks. Wilson’s contract over the next three seasons is more affordable than the one Prescott is expected to sign. Dallas could make it work. — Jon Machota
The Decision…
Russell Wilson is probably not going to be traded this season, but these are fascinating offers, save for the proposal from the Bears. They are likely to be hung up on the minute Nick Foles is mentioned as the potential QB of the future in Seattle. It also doesn’t feel like a stretch to suggest that several people in Seattle’s front office would be removed from the payroll if their return for shipping off Wilson involved putting Taysom Hill under center.
As much as it may pain the Seahawks to do this, they’ll take Dallas’ offer, especially if it includes the No. 10 overall pick in 2021. The Seahawks have no interest in rebuilding, even if they lose Wilson. If they’re going to part with their quarterback, they’ll want a good one in return. Prescott is a top-seven quarterback in this league and although he’d need to immediately sign a lucrative, long-term extension with the Seahawks, he’s someone they can plug in and expect to be a contender right away. On top of that, recouping a first-round pick in this draft helps the Seahawks build around their new QB. — Michael-Shawn Dugar
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