Although the NFL trade deadline has come and gone, there’s still been rampant speculation on trades that could materialize this upcoming offseason. Especially at the quarterback position.
Deshaun Watson has dominated that discussion for most of the year, and of course, Howie Roseman and the Eagles have been linked to the Houston Texans signal caller every step of the way. It seems like the organization is content with letting Jalen Hurts finish out the year as the starter, but by no means are they sold on him as the long-term answer.
Seattle Seahawks future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson has jumped into the quarterback trade discussion in recent weeks. His discontent with the direction Seattle is heading has been growing in recent years, and with the current state of affairs, trading Wilson to fetch a treasure trove of draft capital to jump start their inevitable rebuild seems more and more reasonable.
NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortenson discussed some potential landing spots for Wilson this offseason on a recent episode of The Adam Schefter Podcast.
Here’s the full excerpt from Schefter’s discussion with Mortenson on the likelihood of Wilson taking his talents to South Philly:
SCHEFTER: We expect to have an offseason of quarterback movement. I’m curious to hear your assessment of this potential quarterback class that’s going to be available. With Deshaun Watson, who we just assessed right there, potentially Russell Wilson, potentially Aaron Rodgers. What do we think of the fact that two, three of these quarterbacks could be available now that we’ve gotten past [talking about] the Watson situation? How about the other two, Mort?
MORTENSEN: Yeah, I’m going to speak to Russell Wilson first. Because, obviously, last year you reported on the teams he would approve a trade to, which was interesting, if you know all the machinations of what’s going on there. And now we hear Pete Carroll putting a lot of love on Russell Wilson because he’s coming back from this injury and surgery on the finger. But I think it’s going to be revisited at the end of the year. And I think the Philadelphia Eagles, as you know, sitting there, if they get that pick from the Colts with Carson Wentz, that second-round pick becomes a one if he plays 75% of the plays […] the Eagles have a cachet of first-round draft picks and there’s no question in my mind that Russell Wilson would top their list. And as you know you and you might’ve reported this first, the Eagles, when Russell Wilson came out in that [2012] draft, Andy Reid was the coach, Howie Roseman was certainly in the front office, Russell Wilson was someone they thought about taking in the second round. Am I right?
SCHEFTER: Mhm. Yeah. They wanted him. There were a lot of teams. Washington wanted him, Indianapolis wanted him. There were a lot of teams that were gonna take Russell Wilson. Of course, even Seattle ultimately did at No. 75, right after the Jacksonville Jaguars took Bryan Anger, the punter, at 74. I’ll always remember that. So, Russell Wilson, we think, again, that that drama, that that storyline has been tabled to this offseason. And as you alluded to, the Eagles could have three top 20 picks. Right now I think they’re scheduled to have three in the top 10. I don’t think the Colts will be there at the end of the year but they could have three top 20 picks. Nobody would have more ammunition to go get a quarterback than the Philadelphia Eagles. Jalen Hurts, to date, I don’t think has convinced them that he is the guy. Right? So, Russell Wilson in Philly. Could you see that, Mort?
MORTENSEN: Well, yes, I can. I know Jalen and I hope he is the guy but so far they’re not convinced. He has the rest of the year to persuade them, convince them that he’s the guy. And, let’s face it, you still get to the point where, hey, listen, Russell Wilson we believe is a future Hall of Famer and still in his prime. So, if you have a chance to get that type of player, you get that type of player.
SCHEFTER. No matter what, right?
MORTENSEN: Right. No matter what. That’s the truth. And then it’s a matter of, would Russell be willing to play in Philadelphia? Well, it’s not too far from New York, and it’s a big market. And certainly Seattle would have [interest in] the draft capital, they need to rebuild their roster. Or restock it, I’ll say.
If the drama in Seattle comes to a head this offseason and Wilson is on the trade block, Roseman should do whatever it takes to bring him to Philadelphia. It’s a no brainer, really.
The quarterback situation is immediately fixed and the Eagles get their hands on a proven franchise quarterback. Someone who’s clearly capable of bringing another Lombardi to this city.
Isn’t that all that matters at the end of the day?
Sure, building through the draft and finding your face of the franchise through that avenue sounds great on paper, but very rarely does it work out according to plan. The Eagles should know that better than anyone. There are plenty of examples of teams who’ve recently drafted their franchise quarterback. The Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens. But all of those circumstances were different.
It took Buffalo over 20 years to win a playoff game. From 1993 to 2020, the Bills were winless in the postseason — mostly because they just couldn’t find their quarterback. They drafted quarterback after quarterback until they finally struck gold with Josh Allen. Eagles fans lose their minds after seven weeks of mediocre football, you think we’ll willingly sit back and just wait for the team to finally draft the right quarterback?
Kansas City and Baltimore already had a playoff teams before drafting Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, so they were inserted into very favorable situations. Cinci was one of the worst teams in football during the latter half of Andy Dalton’s tenure, but they look to be back in contention now after drafting Joe Burrow.
The point is, when you have an opportunity to get a quarterback that has proven to top-10 at his position, you go for it. When the Eagles won their first Super Bowl, it wasn’t because they spent years building the team through the draft. They built that team through free agency. And while you can argue that that’s not a sustainable formula, I’d present the counter argument that the downfall was due to subpar quarterback play more than anything.
Wilson is 33 years old and will be 34 heading into next season, but he’s been one of the most durable quarterbacks in football during his career. He’s started 149 out of a possible 152 games in his 10 year career. He’s also stated numerous times that he envisions playing into his mid-40s, which isn’t that far fetched in today’s NFL.
“I definitely wanna play until my mid-40s,” the Seahawks quarterback told Pro Football Talk in December 2017. “I think it’s something that I’ve been very passionate about, and taking care of my health and really trying to dive into the longevity now.”
You don’t truly have a chance at winning a championship in the NFL without stellar quarterback play. Wilson is obviously capable of providing that and the Eagles shouldn’t hesitate to make him their new franchise quarterback this offseason.