Russell Wilson trade rumors: What Commanders' reported offer for QB says about Washington, Seattle situations

Tom Gatto

Russell Wilson trade rumors: What Commanders' reported offer for QB says about Washington, Seattle situations image

The Commanders' offseason quest for a quarterback took them to Seattle and Russell Wilson but the Seahawks turned them back, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Friday

Rapoport's sources said Washington made a "strong" offer for Wilson involving multiple-first round draft picks but talks "didn't go anywhere." The Commanders have the 11th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

MORE: A timeline of the power struggle between Seahawks, disgruntled QB

The report came about 48 hours after ESPN's John Keim, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Commanders had called every other team in the league about quarterbacks.

The Sporting News offers three takeaways from Rapoport's report:

The Commanders' call got the Seahawks' attention

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider said at the NFL Combine this week that they will listen on everyone during the offseason, including their 10-year starting QB. But both tried to downplay the Wilson part.

Carroll: "At this time of year, there’s conversations about everybody. . . . We have no intention of making any move there."

MORE: Making sense of the NFL's confusing 2022 QB carousel

Schneider: "I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't listen [to calls], if I just blew people off."

Schneider has been taking calls since spring 2021 after Wilson went public with frustrations about Schneider and Carroll's roster construction.  

It's easy to assume that the Commanders made Schneider listen closer than usual, and if they come back with a stronger offer, that call might take an interesting turn.

Washington doesn't have many great options after Wilson

The Commanders reportedly made a sizable offer for Wilson and were turned down. If they have to scratch Seattle off the list, there aren't many other places to go for a top-notch QB.

There is speculation within the league that Aaron Rodgers will stay with the Packers. Deshaun Watson's legal issues remain unresolved. The Cardinals are showing no signs that they want to move Kyler Murray. 

Maybe give Tom Brady whatever he wants to come out of retirement, and give the Bucs picks in the deal? A Kirk Cousins reunion, perhaps?

Would Wilson say yes to a move to the DMV?

Wilson played coy about that this week when the "Today" show's Craig Melvin asked him if he would ever consider playing for his "hometown" team. Maybe Wilson and Melvin knew that it was more than just a hypothetical.

"I'm from Richmond, I know what you mean, I got people hitting me up every day, all my friends and all that from the East Coast, but Seattle's the place that I'm at right now and I love it," he said.

But Wilson was ready to change time zones last year, based on the four-team trade list released by his agent.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.