NFL

Report: Denver Broncos Trade for Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

Published

2 years ago

March 8, 2022

The Denver Broncos have agreed to a trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The move came just hours after Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, long considered the Broncos’ top target to acquire this offseason, decided to stay with the Packers.

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The deal reportedly includes multiple first-round picks, and quarterback Drew Lock has been traded from Denver to Seattle as part of the trade package. The trade is pending a physical.

The trade comes despite Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll saying at the 2022 NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week that Seattle was not interested in trading Wilson, who has been with the team since 2012.

Wilson is under contract through the end of the 2023 season and is owed $41 million over the next two seasons. Seattle will absorb a $58 million dead cap hit.

Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII with the team and is s nine-time Pro Bowler. He led the NFL in passer rating in 2015 and touchdowns in 2017. Wilson battled a finger injury in 2021, which held him to 14 games. He threw for 3,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions for a 103.1 passer rating.

The move crosses the Broncos off the list of teams that could potential draft a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. Denver has the No. 9 pick. Seattle did not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft, having already traded it to the New York Jets for safety Bradley McDougald.

The Carolina Panthers at No. 6, Washington Commanders at No. 11 and New Orleans Saints at No. 18 are all teams that still need a quarterback and will pick ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett had been a potential target for the Broncos if they had remained in the quarterback market with the No. 9 pick. It’s unclear is Seattle will want Lock or backup Geno Smith to start, or if the Seahawks will also be in the quarterback market this offseason.