Well, that’s a bummer.
After weeks/months of speculation and debate among the Eagles fandom about the possibility of trading for Russell Wilson, the former Super Bowl winning quarterback was dealt to Denver Tuesday for a treasure trove of assets.
Here’s a full breakdown of the trade:
Seattle should feel pretty content with their haul here. It’s unclear how much the Eagles offered, or if they even made a serious offer to Seattle, but it’s clear that Russ simply wasn’t interested in joining Nick Sirianni and Co. in Philly. Reports suggested Wilson was much more comfortable staying out west, and the Seahawks were likely going to favor any offer that saw their star quarterback go out of conference.
As the old adage goes, it is what it is.
With Wilson out of the picture, Howie Roseman should be full steam ahead on building his roster around Jalen Hurts. There are other quarterbacks out there who are still going to be linked to the Eagles this offseason (i.e. Deshaun Watson), but none of them are worth pursuing at this juncture.
While Watson is a top-10, borderline top-5 quarterback when healthy, his off-field issues make him very undesirable. We should get word on Watson’s future this Friday when a grand jury hears evidence involving his case, and we’ll likely know what the punishment from the NFL will be shortly thereafter.
Regardless of what his punishment is or what the verdict is on his trial, the Eagles don’t need to stoop that low right now. They’re fresh off a playoff appearance and the vibes are good within the organization. There’s no sense in potentially ripping the locker room and fanbase apart by acquiring a guy like Watson.
The Eagles can now firmly focus on their three first-round picks and who to target in free agency. Even if you’re not a ‘Hurts guy,’ building this roster doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be built around Hurts for the long-term. Plugging the holes scattered throughout the team will make Philly a much more favorable destination for the next marquee quarterback who wants out of his current situation. In a year or so, if everything goes according to plan, the Eagles may truly be just a quarterback away from competing for a championship.
Despite my desire to make a deal for Wilson, I understand that the Eagles have issues outside of the quarterback position. Correcting those flaws obviously makes the Eagles a better overall team right now, and a team that may be in a better position to pursue to top tier quarterback in the near future.
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