RUSSELL WILSON TRADED TO DENVER! Initial Reactions & Grades to the Blockbuster Deal

 Wow. The Seahawks actually did it. After almost a full year of Russell Wilson trade rumors and speculation, seemingly out of nowhere, the 'Hawks really moved off of Russell Wilson. As a Seahawk fan, I'm shocked and a bit hurt to say the least. We are going to breakdown the deal from both sides and talk about what this means for the NFL. Wow.

The Trade

Seahawks receive:
-2022 first round pick (#9 overall)
-2023 first round pick
-2022 second round pick (#40 overall)
-2023 second round pick
-5th round pick
-QB Drew Lock
-TE Noah Fant
-DT Shelby Harris

Broncos receive:
-QB Russell Wilson
-4th round pick

Broncos - A

What a move by second year GM George Paton. I'm giving Denver an easy A here. After the news broke that Aaron Rodgers would be staying in Green Bay, it was a rough two hours for Bronco fans, until they found out what Paton did. According to sources, Wilson has been the apple of the Broncos' eye all along and they've been working on a deal for weeks. Ultimately, they get a future Hall of Fame QB who is just 33 years old and firmly in the midst of his prime. I even thought that Denver did a great job by not having to give up as much as I may have expected. Two firsts is what we saw guys like Laremy Tunsil and Jamal Adams go for, Wilson is infinitely better and more important than those guys. Sure, there was a lot more given up aside from those firsts, but those were the biggest assets Denver had to give up, and only two of them instead of three is a major win.

I also think they lucked out by holding onto stud young players like Jerry Jeudy, Patrick Surtain II, and Bradley Chubb. If any of those three were heading to Seattle instead of like Fant or Harris, this could be a completely different conversation. Fant is a great young TE with loads of potential, but he isn't the same caliber as a Jeudy or Surtain. 

Denver is ready to win now. They've found their QB for the next 2-8 years (depending on a potential extension) and it is finally time to get back to winning. It is no sure thing as it is a new coaching staff in town, but Nathaniel Hackett feels like the PERFECT HC to pair with Wilson. He is the complete opposite of Pete Carroll in some ways. An offensive guy, young, innovative, and has had recent success. He is similar to Carroll in his positive and happy-go-lucky views which is another bonus for Wilson. The two should work seamlessly together in what figures to be an ELITE offense with the weapons in place there along with an improving offensive line. While I know the division is going to be insanely tough with Mahomes, Herbert, and Carr as the other three QBs, Wilson may be the best of them all. He's a proven winner who is going to take Denver to new heights.

Denver gets an A for acquiring Wilson for what feels like the least they could have. They did give up a lot, this was probably the most expensive deal in the last 20 years, maybe ever, but it will all be worth it if Denver can return to contention. Is this deal considered an L in the long-run if they don't win a Super Bowl, maybe, but with what they have in place plus some cap space, I think they are in position to be one of the top Super Bowl contending teams for years to come.

Seahawks - B+

When I first saw the news, I was devastated. While I try to remain neutral for this site and also unbiased, as a lifetime Seahawks fan, this one hurt and I was pretty shocked. It is really still setting in for me, and initially I was completely down on the trade, but I do think the Seahawks got good value back for the best player their franchise has ever seen.

Russell Wilson has been so good and so consistent for our team over the past 10 years, but with all of the drama and rumors surrounding this team of late regarding him, plus the inability to have playoff success, it felt like a move was going to be imminent whether that was this year or next year. As much as it hurts to see a guy like Wilson go, we had to be realistic in terms of the fact that our Super Bowl window with Russ at the helm was closed. 

The reason I give this move lower marks than Denver is because I do believe we should have tried to get a little more. I'm sure we tried, but we had all the leverage here. If we don't trade Wilson to Denver, they have no other QB option really aside from mid-tier guys like Jameis Winston or Carson Wentz at best. Denver was desperate and while I do think we got a good haul, adding in an extra first or Jerry Jeudy would have made this a robbery for a team that needs to recoup as many assets as possible to try and retool quickly. Another part I do not understand about moving Russ is Pete Carroll. The 70+ year old coach who has been known to be stubborn lately isn't going to win any games trading the team's best player. I just don't really see his approach. That is what concerns me a little. He wouldn't be all in for a rebuild at his age with little time left in his career, so I'm a little worried he doesn't realize how good Wilson truly was
and thinks we can win with Drew Lock at QB.

The two first rounders are going to be huge for the future of this team. They ABSOLUTELY MUST hit on them. They were the two main assets coming back to Seattle for their best player ever and they need to use them wisely. I think taking a guy like Malik Willis at 9 would be smart but if he is not there it is not worth it to reach on someone else as the team can punt that pick to next off-season in a stronger QB class. Instead they may want to opt for a guy who can be a core piece to build around like maybe CB Sauce Gardner, S Kyle Hamilton, or one of the top tier OL in the class. TE Noah Fant was a nice addition via the trade as he can be their longterm starting TE, he is massive and has great speed for the position and so much potential. DT Shelby Harris will be a great addition in the short term to produce on the D-line. Drew Lock is not a great QB, but he's just 25 and could be a decent bridge-gap option if the Hawks draft a rookie QB and develop him or tank for a year.

You also have to feel for certain Seahawk players. What does this mean for the potential re-signing of Pro Bowl S Quandre Diggs? Jamal Adams can't be happy to be in a potential Jets like situation again. DK Metcalf has had his frustrations with Russ out of the lineup, now he may be stuck with a guy like Drew Lock for a decent stretch of time. Tyler Lockett continues to get reamed, he may even be traded? Bobby Wagner could be on the way out next as well. The Hawks' choices on some of these names in the coming days and weeks will tell us a lot about if they are set for a full-on-rebuild or if they think they can stay competitive right away and try and retool the suddenly new look roster.

Either way, the direction for the Hawks is unclear at the current moment and won't come into focus until at least we see what moves they make in FA. I think it was decent value when you factor in they also got two second rounders which can be key players for the future if they hit. The team is faced with the near impossible task of replacing Russell Wilson, and how they handle the next 1-2 years is going to shape the direction of this franchise for potentially the next decade.

In terms of the entire NFL, this is a massive move. The Hawks now enter the QB watch this off-season. How will them picking at 9 effect other QB needy teams in the draft? Could them being at 9 force another team to move ahead of them out of fear of them taking their guy? Does Seattle join the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes with their newfound draft capital? If Watson was traded to Seattle that would be the ultimate Pete Carroll mastermind move of all-time. Does Denver become a major Super Bowl favorite and a threat to win the AFC West? Probably. This move has so many ramifications and domino effects that we will see play out over the comings weeks, months, and even years. I cannot believe this actually happened and with FA just around the corner, the NFL off-season is clearly heating up big time right now.