I picked a bad time to come to the city of Seattle, Washington on vacation as a football fan. Why do I say this? The Seahawks and the Denver Broncos have orchestrated one of the biggest trades in recent NFL memory: quarterback Russell Wilson is heading to the rocky mountains in Denver, Colorado.
The Seahawks are shipping the nine-time Pro Bowler and a 4th round to the Broncos in exchange for — get ready — QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, iDL Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a fifth-round pick, pending approval, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Two words: HOLY [expletive]!!! There is a lot to digest here. So, let’s start with breaking down the Broncos end.
Denver FINALLY has their franchise QB. It’s been 6 years since Peyton Manning retired and since then, the Broncos have been looking for a quarterback to help lead their franchise to a potential Super Bowl or high playoff seeding…until now. Russell Wilson joins the company of new head coach Nathanial Hackett, star wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, stud pass rusher Bradley Chubb, and star defensive backs Patrick Surtain II and Justin Simmons. Wilson is landing on a team that has been in a position to make a playoff run with the right quarterback.
Before we get into what this trade means for the AFC West, let’s look at this trade from the Seahawks perspective. Why didn’t the team try and mend the fences between player and organization? We’ve already seen on Tuesday that the Packers and Aaron Rodgers are on great terms after a shaky start between player and front office personnel.
There’s no reason the team should’ve attempted to fix its relationship with its star QB. John Schnider and Pete Carroll could’ve surrounded Wilson with better talent along the offensive line and a defense that lacks such talent excluding Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, and Jamal Adams. All of this could’ve been avoidable if Seattle would have listened to their star QB.
However, unfortunately, the relationship is over. The Seahawks are now moving on and are in a position to rebuild their roster with the draft capital they acquired from the Broncos. Liberty’s Malik Willis, one of the top offensive lineman prospects, or a top defensive prospect is in the mix for the Seahawks with their newly-acquired ninth-overall selection.
If you look at what the Seahawks now have in terms of skill position players, Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, D’Wayne Eskridge, and Noah Fant are a nice group of weapons for Drew Lock or whoever will be slinging the rock this coming season. If the Seahawks do decide to choose a quarterback in the first round, they’ll have the playmakers to succeed early on in their career.
Now, let’s discuss what this trade means for the AFC West and the rest of the league. The AFC West is the best division in football, period. The Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers, and Broncos are all playoff-worthy teams. Could we see an entire division make the playoffs? There’s certainly a possibility that this could happen. The quarterbacks in this division are phenomenal: Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, and now Russell Wilson are all apart of this division.
What does Wilson’s move mean for the rest of the league? The Broncos, as long as they continue to develop and improve the roster, should be seen as legitimate playoff contenders for as long as Wilson can play at the level he has for the last few years. Playing in the same division as Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert will be tough sledding, however, it will provide the NFL and it’s fan some incredible match ups between the three incredibly talented quarterbacks.
It’s hard to ignore the fact that this is one of the biggest trades in league history and certainly the biggest over the last 5-10 years. Russell Wilson is one of the best QBs in the NFL when healthy and the Broncos are lucky to have a talent like Wilson, as long as he stays healthy and continues his high level play. The Seahawks are now in a rebuild phase with plenty of draft capital to help with these efforts.