The Russell Wilson saga seems like such a long time ago. Most Chicago Bears have moved on. Understandably so. Justin Fields is the guy now and his time is approaching. Yet it is difficult to comprehend how that entire sequence of events unfolded. A lot of people couldn’t understand why Wilson put the Bears on his shortlist of potential trade destinations. Initial details made some sense.
He had family in the city. Familiar faces on the roster in Jimmy Graham. A respected QB-friendly coaching staff under Matt Nagy. The obvious knowledge he’d have far more sway in Chicago than he has in Seattle. Those are decent reasons yet never felt like it was enough to justify them being on the list. At last, more information has emerged courtesy of Tyler Dunne from Go Long. From what his own sources have told him, the idea of Chicago was heavily motivated by a crucial long-term goal.
The desire to become an NFL owner.
Multiple sources indicated that Wilson’s desire to leave was two-fold. On the field, he was fed up with getting sacked and the run-heavy, play-action offense in Seattle. But the No. 1 reason he wanted out was something bigger off the field: His desire to be an NFL owner one day. Wilson wants to “maximize the amount of billionaires in his rolodex,” one source says, and meet as many rich and successful people as he can. Much thought was put into those three desired trade destinations that made most of us scratch our heads.
Dallas is where you’ll find Jerry Jones, arguably the league’s No. 1 power broker.
Chicago is the nation’s third-largest city. Vegas is Vegas.
Chicago certainly has its fair share of billionaires in its proximity. To say nothing of those who currently have a stake in the team. In this context, it does make sense. Seattle, for all its beauty, is also quite isolated in the Pacific Northwest. It is difficult to network out there. By shifting to a town like Chicago, he’d have been in a perfect spot to make powerful friends in his bid to eventually own a team.
One other factor to consider? There has never been an African-American owner in NFL history. To date, there are only two owners in the league of non-white lineage. Kim Pegula in Buffalo is of South Korean descent and Shahid Khan is Pakistani-American. It’s incredible to think black men make up a majority of athletes in the NFL but there hasn’t been one owner in the league yet. It is easy to understand why Wilson may wish to break that barrier.
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Russell Wilson came quite close to achieving that goal
Since March, the general belief is the Wilson trade came down to a meeting between GMs Ryan Pace and John Schneider in North Dakota. The Bears made an aggressive offer built around three 1st round picks. Schneider was apparently interested in making the deal. He was tired of Wilson’s constant high maintenance. However, the final decision came down to Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Being 70-years old and no longer having time on his side, Carroll couldn’t bring himself to accept that deal. A rebuild would take too long and he’d also go down in history as the guy who traded a future Hall of Fame quarterback still in his prime. So the offer was declined. Chicago signed Andy Dalton not long after and began their preparations to pursue Fields in the draft a month later.
It will be interesting to see if that ends up being a blessing in disguise.
Landing Russell Wilson would’ve been a huge short-term boost for the organization. Yet the cost would’ve been huge both in terms of picks and money. Building a proper roster around Wilson in the coming years would’ve proven difficult. They got Fields at a fraction of the cost. If he ends up being a good player as hoped, the franchise will likely have more long-term success.