The sudden twists and turns in the relationship between the Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson prompted the posing of a simple question on Thursday, inspired by the fact that the far-less public discourse between the Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson has sparked a big request from the player.
Has Russell Wilson asked the Seahawks to trade him?
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, that hasn’t happened yet. The source added this three-word characterization of the broader relationship: “All things fluid.”
Wilson’s contract carries a very affordable $19 million salary for 2021. But a trade before June 1 would result in the Seahawks carrying a $39 million cap charge in 2021. After June 1, a trade would trigger $13 million in 2021 and $26 million in 2022.
Wilson could wait to see whether and to what extent the team involves him in personnel matters during free agency and the draft before asking to be traded in May, with the goal of the transaction happening on or after June 2. By then, most if not all teams will have settled quarterback situations. Few quarterbacks like Wilson ever become available, however. If Wilson can be acquired on June 2, plenty of teams would gladly unbake their 2021 offseason cake.
Or Wilson, and the team, eventually could decide that the situation has become untenable, and that it makes sense for everyone to arrange a trade sooner than later, with the only question becoming whether the two teams will agree to delay making it official until after June 1.