Russell Wilson, according to Colin Cowherd, fancies a trade to the New York Giants.

Of course he does.

I bet he’d like a nice, new, league-leading contract extension even more.

On January 25th I wrote a piece titled: ‘The Russell Wilson contract saga is coming‘.

It was an attempt to preempt what was to follow.

Contained within the piece was a reference to Wilson’s last negotiation with the Seahawks in 2015:

“Instead of a formality it ended up being a long, protracted saga — played out through the media.”

This is what we’re seeing again. Prior to the Super Bowl, Adam Schefter touted a slice of non-news about the lack of talks between the Seahawks and Wilson. Now the talk in the ‘agent world’ is Wilson wants to move New York because of Ciara and stuff.

Within the next few weeks we’ll probably hear from Wilson’s agent directly. Mark Rodgers will appear on a radio show or podcast. Just like last time.

It’s happening again.

It’s all posturing. The media speculation and future articles. The tweets and radio appearances. It’s all an attempt at a public negotiation. Apply a bit of pressure. Lean on fan reactions. Keep this topic in the media.

None of it matters really.

Take this Giants scenario for example. They’d have to be willing to give up a kings ransom for this to be possible. Three first round picks might not even be enough. Then they’d have to be willing to pay Wilson an enormous contract — one that would likely have to be agreed before any trade is finalised (not easy). The Seahawks would have to be willing and prepared to do the deal and would need a realistic solution at quarterback. Acquiring the #6 overall pick might not be anything like enough to make this attractive. Are you guaranteed to get one of the two best 2019 QB’s at #6? No.

So a deal with the Giants has so many hurdles to clear.

You’re going to hear so much white noise over the coming weeks, months and maybe even years. So let’s cut through the BS and get to what it all comes down to…

— Kirk Cousins’ use of the franchise tag has changed the NFL indefinitely. Most players don’t fear the tag any more. They’re embracing it. Cousins has made a lot more money than Wilson because he milked the tag and became a free agent. Wilson can rightly ask for what he’s due on the tag — $110m guaranteed between 2020-22. I think it’s fair to suggest the Seahawks are unlikely to grant that request.

— How willing is Russell Wilson to compromise on a deal with Seattle? And how can the Seahawks gain any leverage in these talks when they’re competing against the tag?

— The Seahawks have to start planning for the worst case scenario. They need to draft a quarterback to develop as a potential replacement. If they have to trade Wilson because an extension isn’t possible, they need to be prepared and ready — whether that’s this year, next year or in 2021. You plan now, not after the deal.

— Any outcome is possible so start to embrace it. This will be a highly aggressive, hostile business negotiation. The Seahawks might have to look at their options. Hopefully it doesn’t come to the point where a trade is necessary. Is it possible though? Yes. But so is an extension or Wilson playing on the tag. Yet we’ll see more of this talk in the media. More speculation. It appears keeping this ‘story’ in the media will be an objective for Wilson’s party.

This topic will dominate the off-season and possibly next off-season too. It’s not going anywhere. It’s a major conundrum for the team to solve.

I wrote this piece about the Seahawks and Will Grier in January and this piece about Kyler Murray in December. They might draft a quarterback early this year. It might not be their first pick but it certainly could be at some point on day two.

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