Chris Simms Doubles Down on Russell Wilson Trade Report From 2018 NFL Draft
By Liam McKeone
Chris Simms created some waves in the football world the other week when he reported the Seattle Seahawks had offered Russell Wilson to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 1 overall pick ahead of the 2018 draft. He went on the Dan Patrick Show on Friday to double down on that report, framing it as a fact rather than a rumor. Starting at the 2:32:00 mark of the video below:
"This is something I know. This is not a rumor. This is something I found out about not too long after the 2018 NFL Draft from some people close to the situation. And then had it confirmed on the other side by the other team involved in it," said Simms. "There was talks a little bit between Cleveland and Seattle and Cleveland giving that first pick in the draft for Russell Wilson. I don't know who struck up the conversation. I would imagine it was Seattle. It makes sense... I don't know how serious it ever got, but I do know that was a very real conversation."
When asked by Patrick who Seattle would have taken with that first overall pick, Simms warned he can't confirm it, but he was led to believe they had their eye on Josh Allen.
Seattle, of course, did not end up getting this trade done and promptly signed Wilson to an extension that pays him $35 million annually. It would have been downright bananas if this came to fruition, though. I don't think Seattle would have been particularly good, especially last season, with Allen back there instead of Wilson. Seattle's first championship core was a remarkable feat of drafting that anyone will be hard-pressed to replicate ever again. All of their key players other than Earl Thomas were selected outside of the first round and were on rookie deals in 2013. The likelihood of finding three All-Pro-caliber players in the middle rounds of the draft is quite low. Flipping Wilson for Allen would be placing an immense amount of faith in the scouting department's ability to do that again.
A fun alternative reality to imagine, to be sure.