BREAKING: Russell Wilson Lists Cowboys Among ‘Only’ Trade Destinations
FRISCO - If you believe, as I do, that “special quarterbacks” are too rare to be discussed frivolously, you share my skepticism about the rumors of a trade of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to ... anywhere.
But ... 10 Takes ...
1) “Frivolous” though it may be, not even with franchise quarterback at their highest commodity level ever, the QB Carousel is spinning wildly. maybe Aaron Rodgers started it with words, and then Matthew Stafford continued it with action ... and now…
It is clear, as of Thursday, that Wilson is openly campaigning for an exit. Via ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson has not demanded a trade, his agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN. Wilson has told the Seahawks he wants to play in Seattle but, if a trade were considered, the only teams he would go to are the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, Bears.”
Pick a big-name quarterback. He’s on the Carousel. And this big-name QB might want a seat on the Dallas horsey.
2) I do not believe that Dak Prescott is on the trade block. But he’s damn sure on the carousel. Negotiation-table inactivity has helped the Carousel spin In legitimate ways, and silly stuff ("Hype Video!'') has kept spinning.
READ MORE: Cowboys Goof: Dak Omitted From 2021 'Hype' Video
3) Maybe I'm thinking too simplistically here. But as with rumors (and odds) of Deshaun Watson landing with the Dallas Cowboys, the idea of Wilson as a Cowboy just seems like an awfully complex plan - when it would figure to be easier to sign Prescott ... as this franchise swears its been trying to do for more than two years.
READ MORE: Would Texans Trade 'Unhappy' Deshaun For 'Unsignable' Dak?
4) About those odds ... If a trade were to happen, says PointsBet, the favorite to land Wilson is the Raiders, at +450. Next up?
The Cowboys, with +650.
Maybe the know something.
5) I often joke that I don't argue with bookies because doing so causes a person to end up living under a bridge in a cardboard box. And I must say, given the fact that the incredible Watson-wants-out story in Houston has come true, I guess I shouldn't argue with Mike Florio anymore, either.
Florio at ProFootballTalk.com writes, "Keep an eye on the Cowboys. That’s a team that has been on the radar screen as a potential Wilson destination for a while.''
It is?
I know that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is an avid admirer of Wilson's. And I think we can agree that Wilson is a better and more accomplished player than Prescott. But I will honestly tell you that in my coverage of the Cowboys, it has never occurred to me that Dallas has all along been secretly plotting to acquire Russell Wilson.
But that doesn’t mean that Wilson doesn’t have a “plot.”
6) The finances involved are messy. The Seahawks would have to eat a fortune. And Dallas, under Wilson's present contract, would have cap charges of $32 million, $37 million and $39 million over the next three years.
Additionally, given the climate (and the Carousel), here's betting that Wilson would gently demand a raise from Dallas. Simply because that's what pretty much everybody does now.
7) Oh, one more thing. The Cowboys would have to trade for Wilson. What would they trade? Dak plus a pick? Prescott would have to agree to sign with Seattle, and Seattle would have to agree to pay him what Dallas wishes not to pay him.
READ MORE: Cowboys Contracts: Solving Dallas' Dak Dilemma
Messy.
8) Florio fudges a bit in his prediction by shifting the idea of Wilson-to-Dallas as a "future'' concept, writing, "It actually makes plenty of sense for 2022, if the Cowboys can’t reach a long-term deal with Dak Prescott.''
Ah. We've just completely shifted the conversation. Are we talking common sense again, which would have Dallas and Dak trying to negotiate a long-term deal, failing, locking into a $37.7 million tag for 2021, and then parting ways after that?
OK. That's a "maybe.''
And now we're eying the 2022 season and Dak is leaving (though of course the Cowboys don't have to do the 44-percent tag increase, but rather can simply keep negotiating to keep him)? And the idea of trading for Russell Wilson pops up anew?
OK. That's a "maybe,'' too.
9) Having said all that, I'm still an Occam's Razor kinda guy. Simple explanations. Simple solutions.
I know that Dak agent Todd France preferred to wait to do a deal because waiting benefitted France. I know that the "Hype Video'' mistake was an honest (albeit dangerous) goof. I know that if I'm in Dak's cleats, I'm a bit miffed about the whole process.
I know that Jerry loves Wilson, but that's different than "coveting'' him. And I know - pending proof in a new contract - that the Joneses love Dak, too.
10) The Final Word: Wilson is upset with the Seahawks for not giving him more help. His position does not seem unfair. But how does him engineering his way from a Seattle program that in the last eight years has posted eight winning seasons and is 98-45 and is coming off a 12-win season to a Dallas program that in the last two years is 14-18 and coming off a 6-10 campaign?
Much is being made of Wilson being mad because Seattle allowed him to be sacked 48 times in 2020. You know how many times Dallas QBs were sacked in 2020? That would be ... 44.
Yes, a healthy Dallas offensive line can fix that in 2021 - just as easily as a Seattle front office that has spent the last decade successfully re-loading its roster every offseason can.
So I'm not betting on Russell Wilson coming to the Dallas Cowboys. But given this offseason's QB Carousel? I guess I'm not laughing at it, either.
