Agent Mark Rodgers has confirmed to ESPN something that PFT reported 13 days ago: Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has not yet requested a trade.
But Rodgers took it a huge step farther. Wilson told ESPN that Wilson wants to play in Seattle “but, if a trade were considered, the only teams he would go to are the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, Bears.”
Wilson has a no-trade clause in his current contract. That was a reaction to the rumor that the Seahawks had talked to the Browns about a possible trade in 2018 that would have sent Wilson to Cleveland.
The practical impact of Rodgers’ comment is obvious. Although Wilson hasn’t officially asked to be traded, his identification of the universe of teams for which he’d play sets the stage for one or more of those teams to begin making offers for Wilson’s contract. If one of them eventually makes an offer the Seahawks can’t refuse, then the trade will happen.
Wilson’s discontent isn’t new. For well over a year, whenever the issue of Wilson’s long-term future has come up, we’ve heard the Cowboys as a potential destination. It’s now clear that it’s one of four teams Wilson would welcome.
The presence of the Raiders on the list is also intriguing, since they have a supposed franchise quarterback whom they say don’t want to trade. Derek Carr may not appreciate the notion that Wilson, through his agent, is attempting to supplant Carr.
If it happens, Carr might be the only one upset by it. Wilson in Las Vegas would mean at least two games per year featuring Wilson and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Wilson on the Saints also would be fascinating, given the ability of Sean Payton to maximize a quarterback’s skills. In Chicago, Wilson instantly would be the team’s best quarterback since Sid Luckman, and maybe better.
Where things go from here remains to be seen. It seems like no accident that Rodgers has decided to go on the record with Wilson’s preferred destination on the same day a report emerged with plenty of off-record quotes that seem to trace back to the Seahawks.
Ultimately, here’s the question the Seahawks needs to resolve. Do they think Wilson is a true short-list franchise quarterback through whom their offense should run? If they do, keep him. If not, the Seahawks should take what they can get from a team that views Wilson that way, since that team surely would give up a lot to get him.
