The Denver Broncos were one of the worst teams in the league last year. They finished with a poor record of 5-12 that included the firing of first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett after just 15 games, with the offense being the reason behind their failure.
This was something that not many people expected considering the team made a huge trade with the Seattle Seahawks to get Russell Wilson. They sent two first-round selections, two second-round picks, and a fifth rounder along with Drew Lock, Shelby Harris, and Noah Fant.
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He was the focus of an offense that had Denver finishing last in the NFL with an average of less than 17 points per game. All that haul ended up being a steal in favor of the Seahawks for how bad Wilson was, but there is a report that suggests his destination could have been another one.
Russell Wilson reportedly turned down the Philadelphia Eagles
Wilson was in absolute control of his situation before the deal that sent him to the Broncos was completed. That’s because he had a no-trade clause that allowed him to veto any offer the franchise received if he didn’t like it, which is what apparently happened with a Super Bowl contender.
“I think what I would say is the Eagles really wanted him. I think they liked his style of play and I think that makes sense because it’s similar to Jalen Hurts, especially when he was in his prime and a little bit faster than now. My understanding is at that point in time, Russ wanted to stay in Seattle and then ultimately that’s not what happened”, Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated reported.
This information seems to confirm what someone close to Wilson like Jake Heaps told at the time of the trade: “He turned down the Washington Commanders offer. He turned down an offer from Philly during the Combine. And the Denver situation was the clear-cut, number one choice for him going into all these other teams”, the QB coach said.
It can sound strange that Philadelphia wanted another quarterback after seeing how good their 2022 was, although there were doubts around Hurts. He ultimately had a huge leap leading the team to the last game of the season, something that was rewarded with a massive contract extension. This was one of those decisions that might have changed the future of the franchise, but they were lucky the deal didn’t go through.
