The last 24 hours have been difficult for Chicago Bears fans following news that Russell Wilson trade talks with the Seattle Seahawks didn’t pan out and that Chicago had to settle with signing Andy Dalton to a one-year deal.
Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is here with a small sliver of hope that, perhaps, a Wilson trade isn’t dead just yet.
According to Schefter, he doesn’t think Wilson staying in Seattle is a done deal. In fact, he insinuated that something might happen closer to the NFL draft next month.
“I don’t think it’s done, no,” Schefter said. “I don’t think I’m ready to say, ‘Russell Wilson is a Seahawk, will be a Seahawk.’ I just know how this league operates. They are inclined today not to move him, but I want to see the draft come and go before I’m ready to say that Russell Wilson will be a Seahawk this year.”
It seemed that the #Bears signing Andy Dalton meant that the #Seahawks won't trade Russell Wilson.@AdamSchefter says he might still be traded
"I don't think it's done, no. I don't think I'm ready to say Russell Wilson is a Seahawk, will be a Seahawk."pic.twitter.com/cI3r6vUCK3
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 17, 2021
The Bears were willing to offer a big haul for Wilson — three first-round picks, a third-round pick and two players. But that wasn’t enough to lure him away from Seattle right now, especially without a replacement in place for Wilson.
There were reports that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll might be interested in New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, who could serve as that replacement. But Schefter noted Seattle isn’t comfortable moving on from Wilson right now.
So with their quarterback options dwindling, Chicago went with Plan B in signing Dalton when the Seahawks shut the door on Wilson. And perhaps Dalton could wind up being part of a trade package for Wilson, as Schefter noted the Seahawks were fans of Dalton.
“If you’re moving on from Russell Wilson, you better feel good about the guy you’re replacing him with,” Schefter said. “I don’t think the Seahawks, or many teams, are comfortable entirely, yet, with the quarterbacks in the draft. They love them, they’re excited about them. But are you ready to move on from a quarterback who will one day be in the Hall of Fame for quarterbacks that you’re still doing work on? The Seahawks weren’t at this time.
“They might be right before the draft. Not today. The Bears didn’t want to wait, and they felt like the right move was to get Andy Dalton while they could. There were other teams pursuing him as well, so the Bears locked him up with a one-year, $10 million deal. They basically moved on.”
Could this mean the Bears still have a shot at landing Wilson? Perhaps, but it remains unlikely. Although Schefter made it sound like the door isn’t entirely closed just yet.
[listicle id=469430]