Let’s get into some new Russell Wilson rumors, because this is who we are now.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapo𝔉port resets the situat♔ion going into free-agency week:
As our Free Agency Frenzy coverage begins: Will the trade QB Rus🎉sell Wilson?
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
There’s plenty of stuff to sort through in this 87-second clip, but the most important nugget from Rapoport is this: “No one I’ve spoken with has said that Seattle has actually engaged in any of these talks. It doesn’t seem like they have negotiated actively as far as a potential trade of Russell Wilson. They have listened, but they haven’t reciprocated.”
Ultimately, the takeaway here is that nothing is imminent. And that’s understandable. There are plenty of moving parts, with dead-cap money, trade considerations, and lining up what the trickle-down effect of such a trade looks like. So, yeah, this isn’t one of those things that figures to come together quickly. And, let’s be honest, even if, internally, the Seahawks are anticipating trading Wilson, they’d want to play this really slowly so as to preserve the ultimate amount of front-facing leverage.
Meanwhile, Rapoport notes that the Bears don’t have a starting QB for 2021. Which, in a way, means he’s dismissing Nick Foles as an option. Something that GM Ryan Pace and Head Coach Matt Nagy did not do when speaking with the media recently. Essentially, Rapoport is making it known that Chicago will be looking at external options to put ahead of Foles on the depth chart. At least, that’s my conclusion based on Rapoport’s phrasing and framing of the situation.
In the end, I’m stuck on a few notes from Rapoport. The first being that the Seahawks have listened, but haven’t been actively negotiating with a give-and-take. But with that being said, Seattle hasn’t flatly dropped a “no” when given offers. The Seahawks could’ve really nipped this in the bud long ago by coming out like the Texans have in other teams’ pursuits of Deshaun Watson. They haven’t. Hence, the show goes on.
