Should the Seahawks really look to move on from Russell Wilson?

Russell Wilson has reportedly had issues with the Seattle Seahawks for a full year at this point. Rumors emerged in 2021 about him potentially being unhappy with the franchise. What followed was his first losing season in Seattle.

That only increased the rumors about a trade taking place this offseason. Teams all over the NFL are linked to him, even though he continually keeps saying he wants to succeed with the Seahawks.

There is a lot of reported interest because Wilson has had so much success throughout his career. That raises the question of how this makes sense for the Seahawks. Should they really be looking to move on at this point?

Seahawks have to avoid overreacting and trading Russell Wilson

Detroit Lions v Seattle Seahawks

2021 was Wilson's first losing season as the starting quarterback in Seattle, meaning from 2012-2020, the Seahawks had a winning record every single season. That points to a rare level of consistency in the NFL, the team even won a Super Bowl(2014) during that stretch.

So it seems like a major overreaction at this point to even consider trading the veteran. The only exception is if he comes out and demands a trade, which he has not done to this point.

The Seahawks made the decision to stick with Pete Carroll as head coach. At 70 years old, that means he isn't signing up to go through some long and painful rebuilding process. The team needs a quarterback who can lead them deep into the postseason.

They already have that on their roster and at a great price. Wilson is under contract through the 2023 season, making a combined $51 million in that span. A quarterback like Aaron Rodgers may be seeking that kind of money per year on a short-term deal.

Trading Wilson elsewhere means the Seahawks are either starting over with a young quarterback, or taking on someone like Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield, as an example.

Wilson has made nine Pro Bowls, including this year's iteration, and has been the unquestioned leader of the franchise for a decade. Trading him away also sends a message to every player in the NFL that the Seahawks would rather do things their own way than make it work with a player who has given so much to the franchise.

Seattle should follow Green Bay's lead with Rodgers and try to reach common ground with their quarterback. Otherwise, they can't hope that the grass will be greener with him gone because they will probably not be able to add someone of his caliber in 2022.

It may take decades to land another quarterback who can provide such stability and consistent success. If it were so easy, other NFL teams wouldn't be so interested in the signal-caller.

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