Although he is not a free agent, Russell Wilson’s future could be impacted by the advent of free agency this week. Teams that are trying figure out what they can do at the quarterback position – teams like the Chicago Bears – are about to see one of their windows for movement arrive. And although the free agent market does not offer anyone close to the level of Wilson, the trade market (outside of Wilson) is impacted by free agent maneuverings, as we saw last year with the Nick Foles deal (guys like Sam Darnold, Marcus Mariota, and others will be impacted this year, without question).
So if you’re worried that Wilson won’t actually ever be moved, then you might have to make back-up plans as soon as, well, today (h✨ence the Dalton and Fitzpatrick rumors this morning).
That is all to say, what Ian♍ Rapoport says this morning is both expected and true:
From : The still haven't engaged on QB Russell Wilson, as we get closer to the point where teams will want to know could he actually get traded… or should they move on.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
That the Seahawks are not yet actually engaging in negotiations, which would be a precursor to Wilson having his own negotiations thanks to the no-trade clause, is probably an issue. Again, no, the Bears deciding to add Dalton this week, for example, wouldn’t necessarily totally preclude a later move for Wilson, but it certainly makes things tighter. You’d much rather know, before doing anything in your quarterbacks room, whethe🀅r the Seahawks will seriously entertain a trade. I expect the pressure on them will be significant today and tomorrow, as legal tampering is going on.
And if nothing happens before Wednesday, when free agency officially opens, you wonder if the Bears will keep holding out hope, or if they’ll consider the window closed. After all, it isn’t just about the Bears: if the Seahawks are going to move Wilson, then they also need to make a move at quarterback, presuming they aren’t rebuilding. And that would mean this week is huge for them, too …
