As reported by both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos have agreed to a trade that will send quarterback Russell Wilson from Seattle to Denver. The deal is pending based on a Wilson physical and Wilson’s approval as Wilson has a no-trade clause in his current contract.
Pelissero reports that the deal includes multiple first-round picks and players for Wilson, the nine-time Pro Bowler, and one of the most productive quarterbacks of his era. Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and the NFL Network reports that the haul includes Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, multiple Denver veterans, and a combination of four draft picks.
There had been friction between Wilson and the Seahawks’ coaching staff regarding Wilson’s involvement in game planning and personnel, and 2021 was the first losing season for the Seahawks while Wilson — the 75th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft — was their quarterback.
The Broncos were in on the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes until Rodgers agreed to a new four-year, $200 million contract extension with the Packers, and Denver obviously had a potential Wilson deal in the works as well. Since Peyton Manning’s retirement after the 2015 season, the Broncos have struggled mightily to put above-average quarterbacks on the field, and that trend clearly changes now.
One would assume that Seattle gets Denver’s ninth-overall pick in the 2022 draft. The Seahawks did not have a first-round pick in this draft because they traded two first-round picks for safety Jamal Adams in July, 2020.
It is not yet known what kind of draft haul Seattle got for Wilson, but general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll had better get more out of them than they have with their draft picks over the last half-decade. Very few of Seattle’s draft picks since the team’s Super Bowl seasons in 2013 and 2014 have been direct hits.
For the Broncos, it’s time to find out if they were truly one great quarterback away from a Super Bowl. For the Seahawks, it’s a referendum on the organizational philosophy from start to finish.