It's Unfathomable that Jack Del Rio Is Right About Seahawks Trading Russell Wilson Now

Jack Del Rio, the former head coach of the Jaguars and Raiders, appeared on NFL Network this week and said he “wouldn’t be shocked” if the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson this offseason.

While I have written that the Seahawks are indeed in a bind with Wilson — who, according to Colin Cowherd, may be getting hints from his wife Ciara that she’d like him to take his talents to the northeast — due to his demands for a contract extension at a given deadline, they still effectively control his rights for three more seasons.

Wilson is under contract for next season, and they can apply the franchise tag for two more seasons after that. While there might be several quarterbacks who are better than Wilson, he sits in that 5-10 range where he’s decisively above average and the odds of the Seahawks replacing him with someone better would be a gamble.

Yes, there must be some pressure inside the Seahawks building that they don’t want to marry Wilson for the long term, especially at a blockbuster deal that would hamper their cap flexibility for years to come, and there also therefore must be a desire to recoup some value in return. That being said, you never see quarterbacks of his stature get traded in their prime, and I’d be astonished if Del Rio is onto something here.