Deadlines spur action as the saying goes. It remains silent between the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson. Don’t mistake that silence for inactivity though. Something is going on with how the Seahawks have managed the past couple of weeks. They haven’t operated like a team desperate to keep their franchise quarterback happy. More like a team that is looking at potential options to replace him.
It started with spotting Seahawks GM John Schneider appeared at the North Dakota State pro day. A showcase for projected 1st round quarterback Trey Lance. Plenty of people found that interesting considering the Wilson situation and the fact Seattle has no 1st round pick. Then another nugget was dropped on Monday during the start of the legal tampering window.
This one courtesy of Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
It seems Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is a big admirer of Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. The same quarterback who is the target of rampant trade rumors. Rumors persist that New York will most likely draft a quarterback at #2 overall, be it Justin Fields or Zach Wilson. That makes Darnold available. If Wilson and the Seahawks really can’t make it work, then he is the guy they want as a replacement.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has a high opinion of Sam Darnold and could end up trading for the Jets quarterback if Seattle deals Russell Wilson, a league source told the Daily News on Monday.
“Keep an eye on Seattle for Darnold,” the source said.
The prerequisite would be a Wilson trade out of town. But here’s the thing: pursuit of Wilson is heating up.
Word on the street is that the Chicago Bears are leading the charge in pursuit of Wilson, with GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy on the hot seat entering their fourth year as a tandem in the Windy City.
Russell Wilson to Chicago would open that door
It’s a pretty straightforward plan. Seattle deals Wilson to the Bears for a bounty of picks. Then they spend a 2nd rounder and maybe a bit extra to secure Darnold from the Jets. Then they can use the remaining picks to fortify their roster around the 23-year old. Carroll is a USC guy. So he knows everything there is to know about the quarterback. It is an idea with plenty of logic.
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One that Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune also heard from an NFL GM shortly before the report surfaced in New York. So this rumor didn’t just pop up randomly in one spot. It’s out there. People believe this will be Seattle’s move if Russell Wilson is out. What isn’t clear yet is whether the Seahawks are ready to do it. Thus far they’ve only listened to offer. They’ve yet to actively engage the Bears. At least according to recent information.
Another interesting part of this?
Information suggests the Jets don’t want to commit to trading Darnold until they’ve seen Fields and Wilson throw live. That will take place at their respective pro days. BYU’s will take place on March 26th. Ohio State’s will be March 30th. It might be possible that Seattle is holding off on dealing Wilson until that time in order to ensure the QB is actually available. Just a theory but it might explain the lack of movement.