Miserable over the fact that he has only one Super Bowl win during nine NFL seasons, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson vented to Dan Patrick in the days after the Super Bowl. Then, Wilson’s agent took the unprecedented step of explaining on the record that Wilson hasn’t asked to be traded, but that if he were traded he would waive his no-trade clause for the Raiders, Bears, Saints, and Cowboys.
The Bears reportedly made an offer. The Seahawks reportedly refused it. Time has passed. For Wilson, who has three years left under his current deal, his choices were to play for the Seahawks or play for no one.
And he’ll play for the Seahawks. This is his tenth chance to add to a legacy that currently has him tied with Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes with one championship each. Their legacies are even better than Wilson’s because they have won league MVP awards (Wilson still hasn’t gotten an MVP vote) and both were named Super Bowl MVP.
So Wilson did exactly what everyone expected him to do on Thursday when meeting with reporters. He downplayed the drama, said all the right things, and focused on a future with the Seahawks.
That future is now, and it consists of at least one more year in Seattle. The 2021 season will go a long way toward determining whether there will be a second or a third. Regardless, his decision to remain all in because he was unable to get all out means only that he’ll be the Seattle quarterback in 2021, and nothing more.
After he signed his most recent contract with the Seahawks, it was observed by someone connected to the relationship that Wilson won’t sign another contract with the Seahawks. If Wilson makes it two more seasons with the Seahawks, the negotiations on a new deal will commence. Wilson likely will want $50 million per year or more. If the Seahawks don’t want to pay it (and if someone else does), that’s when the trade will happen.
It could happen sooner than that. If the Seahawks once again fail to get past the divisional round (they haven’t played in the NFC Championship since 2014), Wilson may once again vent publicly. His agent may once again provide a list of the teams to which Wilson would accept a trade. The offseason may once again feature plenty of talk regarding whether someone will make the Seahawks an offer they won’t refuse.
Wilson knows that his interests won’t be served by continuing to wallow in his frustrations, like Aaron Rodgers is doing in Green Bay. Wilson wants to win, and he knows that his best chance of winning comes not from holding a grudge but forgetting about it, at least until January.