Yes, it’s the offseason. And the offseason is a time for speculation, hypothesizing, and rumor-mongering.
Colin Cowherd cranked up a doozy on Wednesday, passing along word from the “entertainment agent world” grapevine that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson could end up playing for the New York Giants. As the rumor goes, Wilson’s wife -- Ciara -- prefers to live in New York, because Seattle is not an “entertainment Mecca.”
Assuming that this is enough to get Wilson to change teams, that he’d want to play for the Giants, and that the Giants would want him, it’s something that he could force, sooner or later.
PFT explained last year when reporting that Wilson wasn’t inclined in the aftermath of a flurry of quarterback deals to sign an extension but instead to play things out on a year-to-year basis, Kirk Cousins-style. Because he has a cap number of $25.286 million in 2019, his franchise tag in 2020 would land at $30.34 million. In 2021, it would spike to $36.41 million. For 2022, the 44-percent rule would push the number all the way to $52.43 million.
If Wilson is willing to bear the year-to-year injury risk and able to say no to any and all long-term offers the Seahawks make, he eventually will force the Seahawks into some very tough decisions. If they pay $30.34 million for 2020, will they pay $36.41 million for 2021? Will they pay $52.43 million for 2022?
At some point, they’d surely decline to be held hostage by the ever-increasing cash and cap commitment, giving Wilson freedom to move on (or possibly tagging and trading him). Of course, this doesn’t mean that the Giants would be the team to pay Wilson maximum value on the open market; other teams surely would be interested, and other teams may be more inclined to make a massive investment in an undersized quarterback. Remember the recent story about the Giants not being interested in Kyler Murray because he isn’t one? That same theory could apply to Wilson.
Still, there’s a path for Wilson to force his way out of Seattle, whether it’s to New York or anywhere else. With Kirk Cousins providing the blueprint for quarterbacks a year ago, a true franchise quarterback (sorry, Kirk) may be inclined to dramatically widen the trail that Cousins blazed.
And Wilson could be the one to do it.