Seattle Seahawks reportedly agree to trade Russell Wilson to Denver Broncos

The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms on a deal that involves trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a massive package that includes two first-round draft picks, according to multiple reports.
 
The NFL Network reported that the package also includes two second-round picks, as well as one fifth-round pick. It’s also said to include three current Broncos players: quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive end Shelby Harris.

The Seahawks will also send the Broncos one fourth-round pick, according to reports.

The teams appeared to confirm reports of the trade on their official Twitter accounts, though the Seahawks account later deleted its tweet. The deal cannot technically become official until the 2022 league year begins March 16.

The NFL Network said that Wilson, who has two years left on his current Seattle contract, is expected to waive his no-trade clause. That clause allows Wilson to have the final say on any trade deals that involve him. Wilson, Lock, Fant and Harris are also expected to undergo physicals as part of the terms negotiated in the trade.  

The NFL Network also reported that the two teams had been negotiating for weeks, but the deal did not materialize until Tuesday morning after Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers re-signed with his team. Denver had also been in talks with the Packers about a trade for Rodgers.

The Broncos traded their overall No. 9 selection in this year’s draft. Given that Lock is entering his fourth year in the NFL with an 8-13 record as a starter, the Seahawks may use their newly acquired top-10 spot to select a quarterback in this year’s draft.

The deal also means that the Seahawks will likely have back-to-back picks in the upcoming draft’s second and fifth rounds.

Before the deal with Seattle, Denver was slated to have pick 40 in the second round and pick 151 in the fifth round. The Seahawks already had picks 41 and 152, and with a deal secured for second- and fifth-round picks from the Broncos, Seattle is now poised to make back-to-back selections in those rounds.   

The Seahawks have had few early round draft picks since 2020, when they traded 2021 first- and third-round picks, along with a 2022 first-round pick, to the New York Jets in return for safety Jamal Adams. This year’s draft is scheduled to run from April 28 to 30.

Trade rumors have been circulating in Seattle ever since Wilson expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s ability to protect him in the pocket after the 2020 season. Head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider had repeatedly dismissed those rumors but never said outright that they wouldn’t trade him.

The NFL Network reported Tuesday that Seattle had received at least two offers for Wilson, including the one from the Washington Commanders that was reported last week.

With the deal all but set in stone, it appears the Seahawks are — as many fans have suggested they do — moving into rebuild mode. Still, it hurts to see one of the franchise’s most beloved players moving on.

The Seahawks had four straight losing seasons before Wilson was drafted in by the team in 2012. He won the starting job over that year’s presumed starter — former Packers quarterback Matt Flynn — and took the team to the divisional round in the NFL playoffs after an 11-5 season. Their Wild Card win over Washington that year was the team’s first road playoff win in almost 30 years.

Then, the next year, Wilson led the Seahawks to their second Super Bowl after an unforgettable 13-3 season and managed to bring home the team’s only Lombardi Trophy after absolutely walloping Denver in a 43-8 route. The NFL named the 2013 Seahawks the best team of the 2010-20 decade; after Wilson’s departure, linebacker Bobby Wagner will be the only player left from that illustrious roster.

Wilson brought the team back to the Super Bowl the following season, but suffered a heartbreaking loss — thanks to some questionable play calling — after he threw an interception at the goal line with just 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter, handing the New England Patriots a 28-24 win over Seattle.

The team’s fortunes haven’t improved since then — they haven’t advanced past the post-season’s divisional round since 2015, and in the intervening years have missed the playoffs twice — but Wilson’s hallmark Pollyannaism and undeniable skill on the field have allowed him to remain a Seattle darling despite some of the organization’s missteps.

It will be sad to see Wilson in a Denver uniform next season when the Broncos play the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, but it’s safe to expect he’ll receive an enthusiastic and affectionate homecoming from the fans who have put their trust in him these past 10 years.