The Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson after all, just not to the Washington Commanders. Instead, the star quarterback is headed to the Denver Broncos for a well-compensating package.
Last week, reports leaked that the Commanders made a “competitive” offer to the Seahawks for Wilson. But Seattle declined.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said the team had “no intention” of trading Wilson. But the buzz about Wilson moving on from Seattle remained.
Now we see why. Wilson is going to the AFC West to play for the Broncos after 10 seasons with the Seahawks. The full trade deal includes the Seahawks receiving two first-round draft picks, two second-round draft picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant.
The Broncos are receiving a fourth-round pick in addition to Wilson.
The haul is impressive for Seattle, however, there were other factors that led to Wilson going to the Broncos.
The first is Wilson’s no-trade clause. Despite the impressive trade offer from Washington, Wilson preferred to play in Denver, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“For Russell Wilson, he had his choice here. We knew that there were several teams that inquired with Seattle to potentially try to trade for Russell Wilson. The Washington Commanders were one of them… He had a no trade clause, which really is the big hammer here… He wanted to go to Denver. This was his preferred location.”
Additionally, Seattle preferred to trade Wilson out of the NFC. Washington offered high draft picks across three seasons from 2022-2024.
The Seahawks may have wanted to move Wilson out of the conference, but it ultimately came down to Wilson. He steered the trade. He had the no-trade clause. In the end Wilson wanted to go to Denver.
Remember earlier this month, Wilson hinted at his preference of staying out west when shooting down the idea of coming to the Commanders.
