Commanders Cannot Provide What Seahawks Need to Trade Russell Wilson
Even after a year-and-a-half of uncharacteristic and injury-marred football, the cost to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson is going to be high. But more importantly, the criteria will be specific—offering very little wiggle room for prospective suitors.
The newly-minted Washington Commanders are the latest organization to have their hat thrown into the ring for Wilson's services. Sources have told Kevin Sheehan of The Team 980—a commercial sports radio station notably based in Washington, D.C.—that the Super Bowl XLVIII champion "isn't against the idea" of joining the NFL's latest rebrand.
At face value, the potential allure of Washington makes sense. The Commanders are fairly well-positioned to be competitive with a quality signal-caller at the helm in 2022. They boast an admired head coach in Ron Rivera, a strong defensive front, one of the best offensive lines in the league and a solid stable of weapons led by receiver Terry McLaurin, tight end Logan Thomas and running back Antonio Gibson. That all should be appealing to Wilson, as well as the close proximity to his hometown of Richmond, Virginia.
However, like the rest of the teams that have been linked to the star passer, what the Commanders have to offer is not particularly tailored to the Seahawks' needs. With the jobs of head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider and the rest of their staff possibly on the line next season, Seattle is unlikely to show interest in taking a considerable step back. Dealing Wilson, under almost any realistic circumstance, would severely cap the team's ceiling in the immediate future.
Therefore, any trade centered on Wilson will likely have to include a viable replacement at quarterback or a secure path to landing one. Washington, frankly, has neither to offer.
While its first-round draft slot at pick No. 11 certainly has its value, there's no guarantee that would put Seattle in position to select one of this year's top quarterback prospects. But even if it did, the upcoming class has been widely regarded as one of the worst in recent memory; and the likes of Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, Liberty's Malik Willis and Mississippi's Matt Corral may need a year or two of seasoning before leading a playoff push. Again: Carroll and company likely don't have that kind of time.
This past season, quarterback Taylor Heinicke completed 321 of 494 pass attempts for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 15 starts for Washington. While not awful, that kind of production is not going to move the needle for the Seahawks in this situation—even if Heinicke is accompanied by multiple high draft choices.
Plus, in the unlikely event Seattle is willing to shift its focus more towards 2023 and beyond, all interested parties are going to run into a common issue: whichever team acquires Wilson will subsequently project to have great success in the year to come, thus devaluing any and all future picks it may have to offer. That has to be taken into account before a deal is struck; and at that point, there is just too much uncertainty involved for the Seahawks to comfortably accept a pick-heavy return in 2022. Because whether or not they're open to potential struggles next season, getting back to a championship standard in a short timeframe will still be the goal.
Furthermore, on the Commanders' side of things, parting ways with established, high-end talent would be counterproductive. So to address this head on and get it out of the way: no, you won't be seeing star pass rusher Chase Young or defensive lineman Jonathan Allen in a Seahawks uniform anytime soon. But including such a player may be Washington's only path to diverting Seattle from its crucial need for a quarterback, and that is just not realistic for a multitude of reasons.
This is what makes a Wilson trade so tricky. While it's not impossible the 33-year old has played his last down in Seattle, the teams he would seemingly waive his no-trade clause for just don't have the necessary assets to make it work for the Seahawks.
For now, all signs point toward Wilson staying put in the Pacific Northwest this offseason. But if that changes and he does end up getting dealt, it's hard to see Washington being on the receiving end.
