Russell Wilson made a lot of waves during the infancy of the 2021 off-season. So much so that about a third of the league called the Seattle Seahawks to see what it might take to acquire the superstar quarterback through negotiations, according to Michael Silver of the NFL Network. Although Seattle is not a direct purchase, Wilson, the teams are calling and Silver has characterized GM John Schneider as someone who “listens to anything and everything”, implying that the club may not immediately shut down these questioning clubs. Seattle’s potential willingness to hear Wilson’s offers is also something that Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports NFL Insider noted earlier.
At the end of the day, however, a deal of this magnitude comes down to price. What would it really take to get Wilson and would the teams be willing to pay? Silver reports that clubs across the league believe the conversation begins with three choices in the first round draft. Again, this is possibly just the starting point for acquiring the Pro Bowl defender eight times. So far, it is unclear whether any clubs are set to achieve that milestone, but given Wilson’s talent, it would not be a surprise to see him get a very big return for the Seahawks if they decide to move on.
The rumors of a divorce between Wilson and the Seahawks really accelerated when the quarterback went public with his wishes to have his voice heard in personal decisions. He also made his frustrations at being hit abundantly clear. The 32-year-old’s decision to make his feelings known publicly, according to reports, was not exactly welcomed by the Seattle boss, who helped kick-start this potential box office success.
Wilson is under contract for the next three seasons and comes at a very affordable price, making him an even more desirable commercial target for underserved QB teams. His average base salary during the 2023 season is just $ 20 million.
With all that said, Silver pointed out that Seattle got the message from Wilson and it seems his preference is to try to work things out with his franchise caller. If they can’t, however, this is just another superstar name to add to the list of players who may be on the move during what may be one of the wildest seasons in recent times.