Mile High Huddle

Broncos Confirm Blockbuster Trade for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris reportedly part of deal.
Zack Kelberman|
Broncos Confirm Blockbuster Trade for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
Broncos Confirm Blockbuster Trade for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

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Seattle SeahawksDenver Broncos

Minutes after being rebuffed by Aaron Rodgers, the Denver Broncos completed one of the biggest trades in NFL history.

The Broncos on Tuesday agreed to a monster deal for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson that includes multiple draft picks and players. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Denver will receive the nine-time Pro Bowler and a fourth-round pick from Seattle in exchange for two first-round selections, two second-round choices, a fifth-rounder, QB Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

The Broncos took to Twitter seemingly to confirm the trade.

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The acquisition of Wilson, who waived his no-trade clause as part of the agreement, concludes not only days of back-channel negotiations between the organizations but years of QB stagnation for the Broncos, who have wandered the figurative desert — failing with the likes of Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, and Teddy Bridgewater — since Peyton Manning hung up his legendary cleats following Super Bowl 50.

It's also an ideal landing spot for Wilson, who privately expressed a desire to play in the Mile High City. He will change hats for the first time in his vaunted professional career after an injury-marred and angst-filled 2021 campaign in which Wilson posted his worst completion percentage (64.8) since 2017, his fewest passing yards (3,113) since 2018, and his lowest passing-touchdown (25) output since 2016.

Wilson, 33, is entering the penultimate year of his $140 million contract, originally signed in 2019. He's scheduled to earn $19 million in base salary next season while counting $37 million against the salary cap. He has a $5 million roster bonus due on March 20, per Spotrac.com. It's unclear as of this writing whether Denver plans to re-do his pact.

What is clear: Denver instantly vaults from a half-decade of football irrelevancy to the legitimate possibility of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next February.

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Zack Kelberman
ZACK KELBERMAN

Zack Kelberman is the Senior Editor for Mile High Huddle. He has covered the NFL for more than a decade and the Denver Broncos since 2016. He's also the co-host of the wildly popular Broncos show the Mile High Huddle Podcast.

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