Russell Wilson Dealt to Denver: Trade Review
In his 10 years as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson, racked up more than his fair share of accolades. Wilson was a 9-time Pro-Bowler, 12-time NFC Player of the Week, 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year, 2-time NFC Champion, and winner of Super Bowl XLVIII (48). It should also be mentioned that Russell Wilson was 2 yards away from adding a second Super Bowl win to his resumé. However, his time in Seattle is over. After 3,601 days as a member of the Seattle football organization, General Manager John Schneider sent Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a massive haul. Below are the full details of the trade…
Denver Broncos Receive:
QB Russell Wilson
2022 Fourth Round Draft Pick (114th Overall)
Russell Wilson; Image by Steph Chambers/Getty via Bloomberg
Seattle Seahawks Receive:
QB Drew Lock
TE Noah Fant
DE Shelby Harris
2022 First Round Draft Pick (9th Overall)
2022 Second Round Draft Pick (40th Overall)
2022 Fifth Round Draft Pick (151st Overall)
2023 First Round Draft Pick
2023 Second Round Draft Pick
For those who don’t know, Noah Fant is talented young tight-end who put up three very effective seasons with Denver. In each of his first three seasons as a pro, Fant ranked in the top-half of starting TEs in receptions and receiving yards. Over this span, the Broncos started 7 different quarterbacks. We can only imagine how productive he would’ve been with consistent QB play alongside him.
Shelby Harris, a 30-year-old defensive end, has been solid for Denver over the past three seasons. In 43 starts, he tallied 14.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 72 solo tackles, and 19 tackles for loss. These numbers are impressive from a 3-4 defensive end, who’s main job had been to team up alongside and free up star pass-rushers Bradley Chubb and Von Miller. It should be interesting to see how he fits into Pete Carroll’s famous 4-3 defense. Harris might be better suited as a defensive tackle as opposed to an edge rusher in this scheme.
The final player included in this deal from Denver is quarterback Drew Lock. After being drafted 42nd overall in the 2019 draft, Lock took over Denver’s starting QB position from former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. After 5 solid starts and a 4-1 record, Lock was named Denver’s starting QB in 2020. However, Lock struggled mightily. Of the 35 qualifying QBs in 2020, Drew Lock ranked 32nd in passer rating, posting a mediocre 75.4. In 13 starts, Lock’s Broncos went 4-9 as he threw for 16 TD and 15 INT at a subpar 57.3completion percentage. In his three starts in 2021 substituting for the injured Teddy Bridgewater, Lock wasn’t much better. He posted an 80.4 passer rating with 2 TD and 2 INT as the Broncos went 0-3 in his starts.
I’ve created a quick visual below show the vast difference in success between the two QBs involved in the trade.
Figure created using RStudio
Russell Wilson’s career passer rating and Win% is among the highest of all active quarterbacks with at least 15 starts, while Drew Lock is among the lowest of all active quarterbacks in these statistics.
What’s next for each team?
This trade was a big step for the Denver Broncos in becoming a playoff contender. Coming into 2022, the Broncos already had a very good defense. A year ago, Denver’s defense ranked 3rd in points allowed and 8th in yards allowed. This defense is led by a stout secondary which includes last year’s ninth overall pick Patrick Surtain II, veteran cornerback Ronald Darby, and one of the league’s top safeties: Justin Simmons. Each of these players are returning to Denver this upcoming season. Now that the team’s young offensive weapons (Javonte Williams, Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton) are given a solid QB to work with, the Broncos will be a very interesting team to watch this year. Unfortunately, they have to compete in arguably the toughest division in football. Each of the other three teams are coming off a season in which they had a record above .500 and have most of their star players returning. Will the Broncos be a contender to win this division come December? Only time will tell.
The Seahawks on the other hand, just took the first step to rebuilding their franchise. It should also be noted that just hours after the Wilson deal, Seattle released the last remaining member of the famous 2013 Legion of Boom (Bobby Wagner) to free up more than $16 million in cap space as they look to build up a young core that will be competitive in a few years’ time. The question everyone’s asking now is…, who will be Seattle’s starting QB in 2022? Will it be Drew Lock? Will they look to draft Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis with their first round pick they just received? Will they make a move for Taylor Heinicke, Jordan Love, or even Jimmy Garoppolo? It wouldn’t surprise me if the Seahawks signed/traded for a QB on a short-term deal and drafted one of the 2023 QB prospects in Bryce Young or C.J Shroud.
