Reports have surfaced that Russell Wilson has reached a crisis point with the Seattle Seahawks. Despite the success he and the team have had over the years, it seems tensions have continued to climb between him and the organization over the overall state of the team. Specifically regarding the makeup of the offense. It’s enough to where his agent has made it clear that if a trade becomes possible, Wilson has four teams in mind he’d want to go. Dallas, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Chicago.
Of course when hearing the Bears mentioned, this set off all sorts of alarms. Do they actually have a chance. It appears the organization seems to think so. According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, GM Ryan Pace and the team brass have ramped up their efforts to get Seattle to negotiating table about a possible Wilson deal.
As if anything like this should be a surprise.
.@MikeGarafolo was on a few minutes ago with @JasonPuckett20 & @Slickhawk12. Mike shares the interest of the Bears regarding Russell Wilson & that the Seahawks want to keep Russ. pic.twitter.com/eyGR9rxapu
— 93.3 KJR (@933KJR) February 25, 2021
Pace and head coach Matt Nagy know the key to perhaps saving a lot of jobs in that organization is finding a quarterback. Wilson is 32. He’s an eight-time Pro Bowler and likely ends up in the Hall of Fame. He is a superstar. Somebody who elevates everybody around him. Adding him would completely alter the outlook of the Bears franchise from the moment he arrived.
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Given that kind of desperation, one can imagine those two will do anything short of selling their own families to get Wilson in navy blue and orange. It comes down to a couple of factors. When, if ever, will the Seahawks make him available, and can the Bears put together a credible offer they’d accept?
Russell Wilson is worth almost any price
Rumors are Seattle would want three 1st round pick and likely some change in return from Wilson. Is that price worth it? Yes. Quarterbacks like him don’t come around often. That sort of package would be seen as a bargain after just a couple of seasons with him under center in Chicago. Besides, it’s not like Pace has proven incapable of constructing a capable roster without 1st round picks.
All but one of his since 2015 became quality contributors for the Bears. Kevin White was a bust. Leonard Floyd disappointed. Mitch Trubisky didn’t live up to the hype. Only Roquan Smith remains and he looks like a stud. So one hit in four tries. Given Pace’s background of solid free agency work and proven ability to find gems in later rounds? He would feel confident about his ability to still build around Russell Wilson even without those picks.
Will the other teams listed be able to match his desperation?
That feels unlikely. Dallas already has Dak Prescott. New Orleans is mired in a massive salary cap crunch. Only Las Vegas could be positioned to make a run at him. Yet doing so would make fixing their defense a much bigger challenge without those picks. Even if they included Derek Carr in that trade package. So yeah. The Bears are right to stay persistent in these efforts. Wilson is worth it.