‘Shook My Brain!’: Eagles Trade for Russell Wilson a Move That Had Insiders 'Convinced'
In this story:
It may be a cliche, but sometimes the best trades really are the ones that you don't make.
In a recent appearance on Joey Mulinaro's podcast, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network admitted that during the 2022 NFL Combine, there were points where he believed either the Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Commanders would trade for Russell Wilson.
"There were times last year where I was pretty convinced either the Eagles or Commanders were going to trade for Russell Wilson," Rapoport said. "That was one where you kinda stop everything and you're like, 'Hang on.'"
The Eagles, of course, ended up significantly better off just moving forward with Jalen Hurts. He finished second in NFL MVP voting in 2022, leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance. Wilson ended up having the worst season of his career, and the Broncos are now stuck with the five-year, $245.58 million deal that they signed him to before he ever played a game in Denver.
"Now turns out that that was not something (Wilson) was into," Rapoport said. "He was only interested in going to the Broncos and I think we know the story ... That was something that shook my brain a little bit last year."
The Eagles probably would've had to part with the two first-round picks that they had in last year's NFL Draft and likely one of the two they have in 2023, among other compensation, to acquire Wilson. That means that they probably wouldn't have acquired A.J. Brown via trade, let alone drafted Jordan Davis and whoever is ultimately taken in the first round this year.
It is interesting to recall that Andy Reid and the Eagles had interest in Wilson as a prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft. Wilson even told Daniel Jeremiah -- then working as a scout for the Eagles -- that he would lead the franchise to "championships." Ultimately, the Seattle Seahawks selected Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, before the Eagles had the chance to. 13 picks after Wilson went to Seattle, the Eagles drafted Nick Foles.
Meanwhile, 2012 was the same year that the Washington franchise traded up to No. 2 to select Robert Griffin III, before curiously using their fourth-round pick on Kirk Cousins. Since Cousins left to join the Minnesota Vikings via free agency after the 2017 season, Washington has played musical chairs at the quarterback position.
The Commanders are a team in desperate need of a star quarterback that could change the culture of their franchise. Perhaps Sam Howell will develop into that player. If not, Washington could find itself in position to select either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye early in the 2024 NFL Draft. It's probably better to be a blank slate right now than be invested in Wilson the way the Broncos are.
And the elephant in the room for the Commanders is that while there is definitely some intriguing pieces on their team, they are going to have a hell of a time convincing any established player with options to come there while Daniel Snyder still owns the franchise and they play eight or nine games a season at FedEx Field.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.
Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
