The Seahawks appear to be keeping coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider in place. Now, the question is if they’ll keep their franchise quarterback Russell Wilson for another year.
According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, Wilson wants to “explore his options” this offseason the same as last year. Wilson hasn’t demanded a trade and has two years on his contract, but it’s impossible to write off the possibility that he’ll get dealt to another team in 2022. Here are six NFL teams that could probably offer the best return in any potential deal for Wilson.
1
Miami Dolphins
BILL INGRAM /THE PALM BEACH POST
Ideally, Seattle’s trade partner will have a combination of a lot of draft capital, a young quarterback with potential and a few intriguing young pieces to sweeten the pot. The Dolphins check all those boxes and we know they’re in the market for a QB upgrade, as they were apparently trying to get Deshaun Watson before Brian Flores was fired. Any deal would have to include Tua Tagovailoa, multiple first-round picks and one of their top pass rushers – perhaps Emmanuel Ogbah.
2
Philadelphia Eagles
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Eagles may be an even better partner given all the pieces they have to offer. Philadelphia holds three of the top 19 picks in this year’s NFL draft, two interesting quarterbacks and a strong defensive front-seven. Seattle could push for a trade consisting of two firsts, either Jalen Hurts or Gardner Minshew and someone like Derek Barnett or Javon Hargrave.
3
Denver Broncos
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Another fascinating possibility is the Broncos, who have understandably been thirsting after Russell Wilson for some time. Denver has all the pieces it needs to make a deep postseason run with the exception of a capable quarterback. They hold the No. 9 pick plus a bevy of quality skill players on both sides of the ball. They also have a history of making huge moves for star QBs.
4
Cleveland Browns
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Like the Broncos, the Browns (picking No. 13 overall) are a team on the cusp of being a championship contender if only they could get their QB situation figured out. Baker Mayfield may not be fixable, but one could see him bouncing back if he gets healthy and a change of scenery. The real treasures here are on Cleveland’s loaded defense – and a chance to land a blue-chip piece like Myles Garrett or Denzel Ward should not be dismissed.
5
Carolina Panthers
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina doesn’t have everything that Seattle should be looking for in a Wilson deal – most notably there are no quarterbacks on their roster that anyone should be interested in at this point in their careers. However, the Panthers have an inside track with former Seahawks executive Scott Fitterer, who is now their GM. He could offer an alluring package featuring Brian Burns, Jeremy Chinn, the No. 6 overall selection plus a Day 2 pick.
6
Washington
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
There is a certain appeal in sending Wilson to languish for a dysfunctional franchise if he’s foolish enough to waive his no-trade clause for the sake of his brand. Washington has no true QB1 and would be interesting to trade with on a number of levels. WFT could offer the No. 11 pick as well as one of their several former first-round defensive linemen.
