Russell Wilson hasn't formally requested a trade but he's stated that he's frustrated by the team's inability to protect him and the fact that he's not involved in their offense as much as he should be.
Needless to say, plenty of NFL teams would love to have Wilson under center and wouldn't hesitate to trade multiple assets for a perennial MVP like him. But whether the Seattle Seahakws would allow him to walk is yet to be seen.
However, according to NFL.com's Adam Schein, there's no better time to move on from Russell Wilson that right now, as they're years away from being legit contenders in the best division in football.
NFL Insider Says The Seahawks Should Trade Russ Right Now
According to Schein, the NFC West is only going to get better next season with Chandler Jones and Klyer Murray back at plus strength plus JJ Watt landing in Arizona. Also, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams are a huge threat and the San Francisco 49ers will finally be healthy:
"The Seahawks are not close to the Super Bowl. I know they won 12 games last year and finished atop the NFC West. I don't want to slight that effort from Pete Carroll, Wilson and Co. But there was a bit of a fluky quotient. I mean, just look at Seattle's three divisional foes. (...) All three teams will be better this year. Meanwhile, the 'Hawks have a number of key players set to hit free agency (...) Oh, and they don't have a first-round draft pick this year or next," the report started.
Schein added that trading away Wilson right now would give them a chance to rebuild and replenish their draft stock, even if it's at expense of the dead cap. That's because he doesn't think his relationship with Pete Carroll can be magically restored overnight.
"Trading a disgruntled Wilson now could instantly replenish the draft coffers with numerous first-round picks. Sure, if the deal were made before June 1, the dead cap number would be an astronomical $39 million. That number is why many astute bloviators and ink-stained journalists argue to wait until 2022. And Seattle might. But you can make the case that the NFL's most outstanding GM/coach combo, John Schneider and Pete Carroll, knows the time to strike is now. The return would be off the charts. And given Wilson's recent public comments, as well as The Athletic's eye-opening report of discord between Wilson and the Seahawks, it's hard to imagine everything just blowing over and being hunky-dory by September. (...) Now is the time to strike, Seahawks. Get picks. Flip one or two for your next quarterback via the draft. It's time to let Russ cook elsewhere. Flip the script and make a self-serving move for your team, Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Because Russ is messing with your brew," Schein concluded.
Well, Schein's definitely got a couple of valid points. It seems like Pete Carroll and John Schneider will never be in the same page as Russell Wilson, and his value will never be as high as it is right now.
Obviously, parting ways with your franchise player is never an easy decision, especially if he's still leaving the door open to try and make things work. But at the end of the day, football is a business.
