While it may be in the past at this point, with the Chicago Bears set to play the Seattle Seahawks this weekend it’s worth revisiting the trade that almost was. Russell Wilson made a huge stink during the offseason about his dissatisfaction with the state of his team. Namely the backwards offensive philosophy and lack of true investments in helping protect him. With head coach Pete Carroll unwilling to make any serious concessions, the quarterback leaked his desire to explore trade possibilities.
The Bears were famously one of the four teams he listed as a desired destination. Over the following weeks, it became clear the other three teams either weren’t interested or weren’t able to pull off such a deal. Chicago became his only choice. GM Ryan Pace reportedly met with Seahawks GM John Schneider to discuss the possibility of a deal. It seemed like an agreement came very close. In the end though, it didn’t quite cross the finish line. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog finally has some details about the trade offer itself.
How big was the Bears’ offer?
“Pace and Nagy sold it to George pretty easily. George is desperate to win while his mother is still alive, and Wilson was seen as the fastest path to that goal.
After a LOT of conversations, the final offer was the 2021 first rounder, 2022 first rounder and a 2022 third rounder. Schneider wanted more. Pace didn’t budge. Ultimately, they agreed. How done was the deal? The Bears were already making plans for how they wanted to introduce Wilson as the new face of the franchise.”
In all honesty? That package is way smaller than expected. Wilson is going to be a Hall of Fame quarterback someday. He is still in his prime. Everybody felt the Seahawks could probably fetch three 1st round picks for him. That Pace was able to negotiate down to just two 1st rounders and a 3rd? It’s a testament to his disciplined approach, using leverage he clearly knew he had by being the only team left on Wilson’s list that wanted him.
So what happened?
Most of the hurdles had been cleared. Wilson signed off. Schneider signed off. Ownership signed off. Unfortunately, the last and most important hurdle proved too high. Head coach Pete Carroll. He had the final say on every roster decision and just wasn’t willing to consider a rebuild at that point.
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“Then Pete Carroll swooped in. Pete is 70. And while he’s spry and in terrific health, he’s still 70. And he has veto power on all roster decisions. The Wilson trade not happening had nothing to do with cap hits. The Wilson trade not happening had everything to do with Carroll not wanting to endure a three-year development process for a rookie quarterback. He believed he, with Wilson at the helm, had one more run in them. He was wrong.”
It really felt like 2020 was the Seahawks’ last chance to make a run at the Super Bowl. They were 12-4 and had won the division. Then they were knocked out of the playoffs before even reaching a conference title game again. Now here they are, 5-9 with a depleted roster and nowhere to turn.
Russell Wilson to Chicago wasn’t meant to be
It would’ve been loads of fun though. His arrival would’ve instantly galvanized the entire city and probably made the Bears way more competitive in several of the close games they’ve played this season. Sadly it just didn’t happen. In the end, Pace had to go in a different direction. He had one last opportunity to make a splash and that came when Justin Fields slipped out of the top 10 in the draft.
While the trade up to #11 for the Ohio State star thrilled fans, the mishandling of the rookie since then has exposed both Matt Nagy’s inadequacies as a head coach and Pace’s overall roster construction. Now both of them are on the hot seat in serious danger of losing their jobs as the Bears stumble towards an ugly finish. It’s ironic that the Russell Wilson trade not happening may have ended up hurting the long-term prospects of both teams.
Now his trade value is even worse going into next year than it was back in the spring. Not only that but Carroll may end up losing his job. Something that wouldn’t have happened if he’d signed off on a rebuild. Amazing that a decision to keep a Hall of Fame quarterback might end up costing him a position he’s held for over a decade.
