For weeks, reports indicated that the Denver Broncos were doing everything they could to be in a position to acquire Aaron Rodgers if he decided to leave the Green Bay Packers. Just hours after it was announced that Rodgers will stay in Wisconsin, the Broncos managed to get their man under center in a blockbuster deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Seattle will send Russell Wilson to Denver in a deal that will net the Seahawks a treasure trove of picks and players. Schefter reported that negotiations on the deal have been going on for weeks, and characterized the trade as “one of the largest” in the history of the NFL.
Blockbuster: After weeks of negotiations, in one of the largest trades in NFL history, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos have agreed to terms for a deal involving Super-Bowl winning QB Russell Wilson, sources tell ESPN.
Trade is pending a physical and Wilson’s approval. pic.twitter.com/oRFDV8Ehyx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2022
Blockbuster: The #Seahawks and #Broncos have agreed in principle on a trade sending nine-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson to Denver for a massive haul, including multiple first-round draft picks, plus additional picks and players, per sources
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 8, 2022
Pelissero reports that Broncos quarterback Drew Lock will be one of the players on his way to Seattle.
The #Broncos informed QB Drew Lock he’s been traded to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson deal, per sources. https://t.co/GG3aZn8GD4
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 8, 2022
Wilson’s name has popped up in trade rumors in the last year or so, with one report in Feb. 2021 indicating that he “broached trade destinations” with the Seahawks before sticking around for last season. But after an injury-shortened 2021 campaign that coincided with Seattle winning seven games, his time in the only city he’s called home during his NFL career has come to an end.
For Denver, Wilson gives them the kind of quarterback they have not had since Peyton Manning’s retirement. Considering the talent in that division — Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert are two of the best in the league, while Derek Carr is a steady hand in Las Vegas — Wilson is the sort of game-changing talent they need to keep up and, should some things go right, compete under new head coach Nathaniel Hackett.