Relax, Seahawks Fans... Russell Wilson Isn't Going Anywhere
The NFL offseason officially kicked off a little more than 24 hours ago, but already, rumors are once again swirling about Russell Wilson reportedly being discontent with his situation in Seattle.
Two years ago, reports surfaced indicating Wilson wanted to be traded to the New York Giants. Other reports suggested the Browns offered up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft as part of a trade package for the star quarterback. Neither came to fruition, with the Giants eventually drafting Daniel Jones and the Browns using their top pick on Baker Mayfield.
Ultimately, with negotiations going down to the wire as the deadline to strike a deal approached, Wilson signed a record-breaking four-year, $140 million deal to stay with the Seahawks in April 2019. Though the contract has since been passed by Patrick Mahomes, at the time, the average salary of $35 million made him the highest-paid player in league history.
Nearly two years after ink met paper, per Jason La Canfora of CBS, Wilson's camp has "grown increasingly frustrated" by Seattle's struggles trying to protect him. Over the past nine seasons, he's been sacked a whopping 394 times, easily the most in the NFL during that span.
But before fans start to panic about the idea of Wilson sporting another uniform, even if Wilson indeed isn't happy with where things currently stand with the Seahawks, he's not going anywhere. At least not in 2021.
First, Wilson's latest contract features a no-trade clause that he and agent Mark Rodgers bargained for. This would prevent Seattle from moving him unless the star signal caller wanted out of town which, despite La Canfora's report, does not seem likely considering he was just heavily involved in the hiring of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. As expected, teams that have inquired about his availability have been turned away quickly.
Second, under the terms of Wilson's deal, he carries a $32 million cap hit in 2021 and if the Seahawks did decide they wanted to trade him, unloading him would force the franchise to eat a massive $39 million dead cap hit. Considering every team already is facing significant salary cap restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, general manager John Schneider and the front office would never make such a move.
As far as something the Seahawks could realistically do with Wilson's contract in coming months, it's possible the team could turn $17.925 million of the quarterback's $19 million base salary for 2021 into a signing bonus. This would lower his cap hit for next season by nearly $12 million, creating much-needed financial flexibility to add pieces around him.
Most notably, such cap relief could open the doors for Seattle to pursue upgrades at left guard and center, as former starters Mike Iupati and Ethan Pocic are slated to become free agents. This would certainly appease Wilson's camp, especially if the team was able to land a top-tier player such as Packers center Corey Linsley to team up with All-Pro left tackle Duane Brown as well as right guard Damien Lewis.
As a trade-off, Wilson's cap hits in 2022 and 2023 would jump by close to $6 million per season if such a move was made, giving him cap charges of $43 and $45 million in those two seasons respectively. With other players such as safety Jamal Adams due lucrative extensions in the near future, that isn't ideal. But with the organization estimated to be only $4.1 million above the cap right now and clearly in win now mode, it's something Schneider has to at least consider.
Down the road, if Seattle isn't able to get over the hump in 2021 and/or Wilson continues to absorb tons of punishment behind a suspect offensive line, smoke could become an all-out fire next offseason. Under such a premise, he may be more than willing to waive his no-trade clause if he believes his best chance at winning a second Super Bowl lies with elsewhere.
The Seahawks also would have smaller dead cap hits to absorb - $26 million in 2022 and $13 million in 2023 - possibly increasing the likelihood of a split between the franchise and quarterback. If another team threw multiple first-round picks at them, Schneider may be far more inclined to seriously ponder such offers.
But for now, Wilson will most certainly be under center for Seattle when the 2021 season opens next September. And most likely, with a new coordinator he helped hire and plenty of weapons at his disposal, that's where he will be in 2022 and 2023 as well, regardless of the offseason noise that seems to arise annually.
