The quarterback landscape can best be described as a chessboard. Sometimes the move that is made doesn’t just impact the two spots involved. It can impact several other pieces on the board. Tom Brady is the latest example. He instantly swung the balance of power away from New England to Tampa Bay the moment he left. At the same time, his move seems to have emboldened other quarterbacks to take control of their careers. Russell Wilson is the latest.
Things are not well in the Pacific Northwest. The seven-time Pro Bowl quarterback is at growing odds with the Seattle Seahawks brass over the direction of the franchise. Wilson wants more say in the personnel and schematic makeup of the offense. Specifically, the offensive line that has gotten him sacked a lot over the years. Seattle seems unwilling to move away from their run-first approach. A product of Pete Carroll’s steadfast belief in that style of play.
When Wilson didn’t get the answers he wanted, he took his plight to the media.
Now it’s reaching a point where talk of a possible trade is very real. Wilson’s camp even leaked four teams he’d be interested in going to if it came to that. The New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bears. Unsurprisingly word soon leaked out that GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy are 100% on board with doing whatever it takes to bring the 32-year old to Chicago. It just hasn’t gotten that far yet.
So here’s the thing. Obviously, Wilson coming to the Bears is the dream scenario. That being said, what happens if one of those other teams gets him instead? Is there a preference as to where he lands? Yes, as it turns out. According to a source, while the Bears are committed to putting Wilson in navy blue, their consolation prize would be ending up on one other team.
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That would be the Cowboys.
Russell Wilson to Dallas could still help the Bears
How? Circumstances. The Saints aren’t really in a good position to trade for him anyway. Las Vegas has an advantage in that they can offer a quarterback in return with Derek Carr. Dallas though has the highest draft pick at 10th overall. Building a package around that would certainly give them a strong chance to pry Wilson away from Seattle. So how does that help the Bears?
It virtually guarantees Dak Prescott would then become a free agent. The source confirms he would become Chicago’s focus in the event this happened.
For those saying the Cowboys could simply tag-and-trade him, it doesn’t work that way. Dallas could tag Prescott, but he’d still have to sign the tender contract to facilitate a trade. Why would he willingly go to Seattle when he can choose his own team on the open market? The Cowboys couldn’t tag and keep him with Wilson on the team at the same time.
They’d have to let Prescott walk.
This would open a big opportunity for the Bears. They’d be free to make a strong run at the 26-year old quarterback. They’d only have to worry about offering money and not picks. While Prescott would undoubtedly be expensive, there are ways they can juggle the numbers to keep his 2021 cap hit low. Thus allowing them to hang onto other players.
It would be a substantial financial investment. Probably around $40 million per year. Some may think Prescott isn’t worth that. Yet the reality is the Bears aren’t in a position to be picky. If they can’t get Russell Wilson, then throwing all the money at Prescott is the ideal backup plan.