Bears Plan To Pursue Russell Wilson Trade
The Bears are taking their status as one of Russell Wilson‘s acceptable destinations seriously. They plan to prioritize making a run at the Seahawks quarterback, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes.
Wilson’s agent listed the Bears, Cowboys, Raiders and Saints as the teams for whom he would agree to waive his no-trade clause. The Seahawks passer has made it clear he is not happy with the present state of affairs in Seattle. For the first time, envisioning the nine-year veteran quarterbacking another team does not seem foolish.
As of now, the Seahawks do not want to trade Wilson, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. It would tag Seattle with a record $39MM in dead money to make such a trade, assuming a deal commenced before June 1. Wilson has not officially requested a trade, but the way this developing saga has played out, that news would not be especially surprising. Of course, it would take a monster offer to pry Wilson from the team that drafted him.
Chicago still has Nick Foles under contract, and the journeyman QB may still loom as a fallback option for a Bears team that has featured a need at quarterback for much of the past 30 years. The Bears were involved in the Carson Wentz and Matthew Stafford sweepstakes, being tied more closely to the former. But no offer emerged, and Wentz is now a Colt. Chicago has not been closely connected to Deshaun Watson, though it would seem the team would love to be involved in those sweepstakes.
Wilson would carry far more trade value than either Stafford or Wentz, and with the Bears not having a viable QB1 to include in a trade and holding the No. 20 overall pick, presenting an offer the Seahawks would entertain will be difficult. Other options for the Bears include signing a stopgap-type QB to fill free agent Mitchell Trubisky‘s spot or drafting one in the first round, Biggs adds. Though, it is possible the team would need to trade up to land one of the top five QBs in this year’s draft pool.
Seahawks Release Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon officially won’t be returning to the NFL with the Seahawks. Seattle has released the embattled wide receiver, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.
It’s an expected move, especially after we heard last week that Gordon was planning on playing in the startup Fan Controlled Football League that’s affiliated with his close friend Johnny Manziel. Gordon is still only 29 and could theoretically always return to the NFL one day, but clearly Seattle doesn’t have any intention of waiting around any longer. Back in January, the league rescinded Gordon’s reinstatement and he’s now suspended indefinitely again.
Gordon appeared on the verge of taking the field for a while, and was activated to the roster by the Seahawks in December, but ultimately his personal issues got in the way once again. Of course, he never ended up playing in a game for Seattle in 2020. He played in six games with the Patriots and five with the Seahawks in 2019.
The team appeared committed to developing him into a new weapon for Russell Wilson at a low price, but it never worked out and included plenty of hiccups along the way. Never say never with Gordon, but it appears likely at this point that he’s played his final NFL down. It feels like a lifetime ago that he had his 1,646 yard and nine touchdown season with Cleveland back in 2013.
Seahawks Add DeShawn Shead To Staff
DeShawn Shead will make the transition to the coaching side. The former Seahawks cornerback will be part of the team’s 2021 coaching staff.
The Seahawks announced their former starting corner will work as a defensive assistant. Shead, as could be expected, will primarily coach Seattle’s defensive backs.
A former UDFA success story, Shead saw his playing career turn after he suffered an ACL tear in the Seahawks’ 2016 divisional-round game against the Falcons. He was not able to recapture his previous form, spending time on the workout circuit after his six-year Seahawks run concluded following the 2017 season. Shead, 31, has not played since the 2018 season.
Shead worked as a reserve for both of Seattle’s Super Bowl squads and moved into the starting lineup in 2015. Prior to his injury, the Portland State product operated as a full-time starter opposite Richard Sherman in 2016. Shead finished his playing career by suiting up for 12 games with the 2018 Lions.
Seahawks Notes: Wilson, Carroll, Dunlap
One of the reasons for the trade rumors swirling around Seahawks QB Russell Wilson — and perhaps the primary reason — is Wilson’s relationship with head coach Pete Carroll, which appears to be strained. Apparently, his relationship with Carroll’s sons hasn’t been much better.
According to a tweet from The Athletic, Wilson believes Carroll and his sons, Nolan and Brennan, answer to no one (Nolan serves as the team’s WRs coach, and Brennan had been working as the run game coordinator before accepting a position at the University of Arizona). And, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Wilson is 100% correct.
Former owner Paul Allen “stayed deep in the background” when he was alive, and his sister, Jody Allen, has largely done the same since she inherited the team. Some league sources believe the Seahawks are essentially run by the Allens’ parent company, Vulcan Inc., which in turn defers to the head coach as the club’s de facto CEO. So while Jody Allen could intervene in light of the Wilson trade rumblings, her track record suggests that she will not do so, and that Pete Carroll will ultimately be the one to decide whether to deal Wilson.
While Wilson himself has said he does not expect to be dealt, Florio believes the 32-year-old will ultimately request a trade either this year or next. If QB and HC do not mend fences soon, it’s easy to envision such a scenario.
Now for more from the Emerald City:
- Unlike Florio, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com does not believe Wilson will be traded. One of the reasons for that is the fact that — as our Sam Robinson wrote several days ago in the piece linked above — a trade will leave $39MM in dead money on the Seahawks’ cap. While a post-June 1 trade will allow the team to spread out that hit and actually create $19MM in 2021 space, Seattle is lacking a first-rounder and third-rounder this season, so a Wilson trade might be more beneficial if it happened prior to this year’s draft and not after June 1.
- Still, Henderson believes the ‘Hawks will make a trade that both sheds some salary — the team has less than $8MM of cap space relative to the $180MM floor — and adds some much-needed draft capital. There is no indication as of yet that Seattle will look to trade players like Carlos Dunlap, Bobby Wagner, or Jamal Adams, but Henderson could see it happening.
- As of now, though, Henderson predicts that the club will cut Dunlap and look to re-sign him to a less expensive contract — the former Bengal is due to carry a $14.1MM cap hit in 2021 — while restructuring the contract of franchise icon Wagner and extending 2020 trade acquisition Adams.
- Proven performance escalators for several 2018 draftees have played a role in Seattle’s cap crunch. Since he earned a Pro Bowl nod in his rookie season, punter Michael Dickson has a $3.384MM salary for 2021 — the amount of the second-round RFA tender — while cornerback Tre Flowers is due to earn $2.183MM since he met the snap count requirement for the Level One PPE (Twitter link via Henderson). If you need a refresher, OverTheCap.com offers a comprehensive explanation of PPEs.
- Presently, the Seahawks’ highest draft choice is their second-rounder (No. 56 overall). Given the state of the club’s offensive line, and Wilson’s recent comments in that regard, most mocks have Seattle selecting an OL with that pick, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times observes. Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis and Tennessee guard Trey Smith would be worthy Day 2 selections.
The Only NFL Players With No-Trade Clauses
It’s fairly common for disgruntled NFL players to give their teams a short list of acceptable trade destinations. However, it’s still quite rare for players to hold contractual veto power over a trade. Currently, there are only nine NFL players with a no-trade clause in their deals, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets:
▪️ Drew Brees, QB (Saints)
▪️ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL (Chiefs)
▪️ Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (49ers)
▪️ Jimmy Graham, TE (Bears)
▪️ DeAndre Hopkins, WR (Cardinals)
▪️ Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs)
▪️ Deshaun Watson, QB (Texans)
▪️ J.J. Watt, DL (Cardinals)
▪️ Russell Wilson, QB (Seahawks)
The Chiefs, who represent 25% of the list, furnished LDT with a NTC as a part of his contract restructure. Historically, there haven’t been many offensive lineman to secure the clause. However, Duvernay-Tardif had a bit of leverage in 2020 when the Chiefs needed extra cap room. He was scheduled to count for nearly $9MM, $6.45MM of which was comprised of base salary. Instead, he converted some of that money into a signing bonus over the remaining three years and came away with a perk typically reserved for quarterbacks.
Watson and Wilson are among the QBs who can block trades. They’re both putting it to use, albeit in different ways. Watson wants out — even after finally meeting with new head coach David Culley – and he’s steering himself towards a small group of teams, including the Dolphins and Panthers. Wilson, meanwhile, says that he doesn’t want to get traded and doesn’t expect to get traded. But, if the Seahawks do shop him, he wouldn’t mind joining up with the Bears, Cowboys, Saints or Raiders. In beating out several other teams for Watt, the Cardinals included the clause in the star defender’s contract.
Josh Gordon To Play In Fan Controlled Football League
Josh Gordon‘s most recent attempt at NFL reinstatement did not end with him playing during the 2020 season. The former All-Pro will try his hand at something quite different soon.
Gordon will play in the recently launched Fan Controlled Football league, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The NFL rescinded Gordon’s reinstatement officially last month. Previously, he was on track to return late last season as a Seahawk. The Seahawks re-signed the oft-suspended pass catcher last year, doing so after claiming him on waivers in 2019 and using him in five games that year. A suspension ended Gordon’s 2019 season as well.
Fan Controlled Football, with which ex-Gordon Browns teammate Johnny Manziel is affiliated, is a seven-on-seven league that allows fans to call plays. Gordon will play for the Zappers, with whom Manziel plays, according to the team’s owner.
Gordon and Manziel played together on the 2014 Browns, though neither played much that season. Brian Hoyer quarterbacked the Browns for most of the 2014 campaign, and a 10-game Gordon suspension — which was an unfortunate harbinger of things to come — shelved him for most of the year as well. During Manziel’s second and final NFL season (2015), Gordon served a season-long suspension. But they are evidently set to reunite in one of the more unusual football leagues to emerge.
The Seahawks kept Gordon on their roster after his reinstatement effort failed. He will be an NFL free agent on March 17. Nearing 30 and still suspended, Gordon would not stand to generate too much interest on the market this year.
Russell Wilson Not Expecting To Be Traded; QB Clashing With Pete Carroll?
The Seahawks have run into a seminal issue with their franchise quarterback, with trade destinations coming out Thursday. At this point, Russell Wilson does not expect the Seahawks to trade him, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets, though multiple NFL executives believe the team will make the decorated quarterback available.
This rift between Wilson and the team stems from several factors. A central component in Wilson’s frustration is Pete Carroll‘s insistence on an offense that features the run more than most NFL attacks do, and The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks report Wilson and Carroll have clashed over the past several months on both the Seahawks’ philosophy and personnel (subscription required).
Following a midseason stretch that featured seven Wilson turnovers in two losses, the Seahawks reverted to a more balanced offense. They then finished the regular season with wins in six of their final seven games to post a 12-4 record — the team’s best mark since 2014. Prior to the turnaround, however, Seahawks coaches dismissed Wilson’s ideas for how to repair a suddenly ailing offense, according to The Athletic. This led to Wilson storming out of a meeting.
Wilson fell well off the MVP pace on which he started the season, after he threw 26 touchdown passes in Seattle’s first seven games, and closed the year with an 11-for-27 performance against the Rams in a wild-card loss. After the season, Wilson expressed dissatisfaction with the Seahawks’ offensive line plan publicly. But that came after the nine-year veteran went to Carroll on this matter — one that had bothered him for years. Carroll’s insufficient response to Wilson’s O-line-related concerns, in the 32-year-old passer’s eyes set off the public commentary that has led to trade rumors, per The Athletic.
The Seahawks have not put a tremendous amount of resources into their offensive line in recent years, and Wilson has taken 394 sacks — the most by any quarterback through his first nine seasons. QBs, of course, bear responsibility for sacks alongside offensive linemen.
Past flirtations with trades or other quarterbacks have pushed this situation to this point as well. The Seahawks’ trade talks with the Browns in 2018 — however brief they were — led to Wilson’s 2019 extension containing a no-trade clause. GM John Schneider being on-hand for Josh Allen‘s pro day factored into Wilson’s situation as well, and The Athletic adds that Schneider’s fascination with Patrick Mahomes would have led to the Seahawks taking him had he fallen to them at No. 26 — an unrealistic scenario based on the future MVP’s pre-draft rise — in the 2017 draft. The Cardinals and Saints were prepared to draft Mahomes ahead of the Seahawks.
Beyond the four teams that Wilson’s agent mentioned today as trade destinations his client would approve — the Bears, Cowboys, Saints and Raiders — The Athletic’s report indicated Wilson’s camp discussed trades to the Dolphins and Jets with the Seahawks. Considering both teams’ draft capital and their respective links to Deshaun Watson, it makes sense they would be connected to Wilson as well. It is certainly notable that they were omitted in Mark Rodgers’ Thursday comments, however. The Seahawks have yet to approach Wilson about any potential trades, Fowler notes.
Wilson’s $35MM-per-year contract runs through the 2023 season. It would tag the Seahawks a record $39MM in dead money were they to trade Wilson before June 1, per Spotrac (on Twitter), with a post-June 1 trade defraying $26MM of the hit to 2022. To avoid such a scenario becoming the lead trade in a seismic offseason for quarterback movement, the Seahawks and Wilson may have some fence-mending to do in the coming weeks.
Seahawks’ Russell Wilson Open To Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, Bears
Russell Wilson has not demanded a trade, agent Mark Rodgers tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). However, the quarterback has told the Seahawks that if a trade were to be considered, he would be willing to join the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, or Bears. Wilson, armed with a no-trade clause, will not consider any team outside of that group. 
The Jets, Dolphins, and Panthers have been heavily linked to Deshaun Watson and would surely be interested in Wilson. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t make the cut. Ditto for the Broncos, Patriots, 49ers, and the Washington Football team, who were runners-up for Matthew Stafford. Of course, it’d be difficult to imagine Wilson in San Francisco, anyway.
Given the Bears’ recent struggles, their inclusion on Wilson’s short list is a bit surprising. Ditto for the Raiders, though they could parlay their current top two quarterbacks — Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota — into additional offensive support for Wilson. The Saints would be especially intriguing for Wilson, though Drew Brees has yet to make his retirement official. Meanwhile, Wilson-to-the-Cowboys would spin this year’s quarterback carousel out of orbit and send Dak Prescott elsewhere.
Wilson, 32, has been the face of the Seahawks for years. He’s also been sacked at an alarming rate. Recently, Wilson expressed frustration with the Seahawks’ inability to protect him. As a pro, Wilson has been sacked 394 times with 40+ sacks in each season since his rookie year.
The Seahawks furnished Wilson a brand new deal less than two years ago. Today, his average annual value of $35MM/year makes him the third-highest paid player in the NFL. So far, the Seahawks have rejected all trade inquiries on him, but that hasn’t stopped teams from trying.
Seahawks Re-Sign Alex Collins
The Seahawks have re-signed RB Alex Collins, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter). Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says it will be a veteran salary benefit deal (Twitter link).
The low-level commitment to Collins makes sense, as the 26-year-old back is still trying to reestablish himself in the league. Seattle selected Collins, an Arkansas product, in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He was waived prior to final cutdowns in the summer of 2017, and the Ravens quickly scooped him up. At the time, it looked like a coup for Baltimore, as Collins piled up nearly 1,000 rushing yards on a healthy 4.6 YPC average in 2017 and entered the 2018 season at the top of the club’s RB depth chart. But a 2018 foot injury cut his season short, and his arrest in the 2019 offseason prompted the Ravens to drop him. He spent all of 2019 and a good chunk of 2020 out of football, ultimately joining Seattle’s taxi squad in November.
The ‘Hawks dealt with injuries to their RB room throughout the 2020 campaign, which created something of an opportunity for Collins. In three games (one start) for Seattle following his promotion, Collins totaled 18 carries for 77 yards and two TDs, and as of now, he is the most experienced back under contract. Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde are both eligible for unrestricted free agency, while the club is also rostering Rashaad Penny — who played just three games last season — and fellow youngsters Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas.
The team understandably hopes to keep Carson, but even if they do, Collins could represent a quality complementary piece at a discount rate.
K.J. Wright Not Open To Discount To Stay With Seahawks
The Seahawks kept K.J. Wright two years ago, and he played out his third contract as the team’s longest-tenured player. It looks like the veteran linebacker will make a concerted effort to maximize his value this year.
Ahead of his age-32 season, Wright may only have one more chance at a notable NFL payday. If the Seahawks want to keep Bobby Wagner‘s longtime linebacker sidekick around, they will need to outbid other suitors.
“I do way too much on the football field to take a discount,” Wright said during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show (via ESPN.com). “It makes absolutely no sense. If you want to win all these championships and look good on Sundays, you’ve got to compensate your guys that are making plays.”
Last month, Wright said he would be eager to return to Seattle on a fourth contract. But it is clear he will not make a financial sacrifice to do so. Wright graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 overall off-ball linebacker last season; he was the only player to post double-digit totals in tackles for loss (11) and passes defensed (10). He has started 140 of the 144 career games he has played since the Seahawks drafted him in the 2011 fourth round.
“That would just be a beautiful story, if I could just ride it all out with the Seahawks,” Wright said. “That’s some legendary-type stuff. I believe it would be a great investment for Seattle to keep me because as you’ve seen, since I’ve been here, we’ve been nothing but awesome — always making it to the playoffs, winning our division, so they know how much I want to be here.
“But at the end of the day, I get it. They’ve got to clear some space to make things happen, so they’ve got to get busy.”
Seattle has Wagner’s $18MM-per-year contract on its books through 2022. And the team took Jordyn Brooks in last year’s first round, potentially signaling a Wright exit. Wright signed a two-year deal worth $14MM in 2019. The Seahawks have barely $4MM in cap space — a figure that ranks 18th as of Wednesday — and have Shaquill Griffin and Chris Carson joining Wright as free agents-to-be. Russell Wilson lobbying for offensive line upgrades may factor into this equation as well.
Wright would join Lavonte David and Matt Milano as the top linebacker free agents. The Buccaneers will do what they can to keep David, though they have plenty of high-priority UFAs, while the Bills are prepared to let Milano hit the market.