Russell Wilson traded to Broncos

The Russell Wilson era in Seattle will end pending a physical and Wilson’s approval. Wilson was traded to the Broncos on Tuesday for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, Denver quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

In addition to Wilson, the Broncos will get a fourth-round pick from Seattle. The trade is not official until the new NFL year begins on March 16. Wilson is expected to both pass the physical and approve the trade.

If the return seems a little pricey for a quarterback with only two years left on his contract, know that the Denver Broncos have used eleven different quarterbacks since Peyton Manning retired in 2016. They have a young talented offense and have drafted well in recent years, so they don’t need draft picks to supplement their team. The Broncos moved up to fifth in Super Bowl LVII odds after the news broke of the trade. The Broncos are now a win team.

Here’s a brief look at the players the Seahawks are getting in the trade. Drew Lock was a 2019 second-round pick for the Broncos. He served as the backup quarterback to Teddy Bridgewater last season, playing in six games for the Broncos. Since Geno Smith is now a free agent, the move gives Seattle a quarterback on their roster. Noah Fant was the twentieth overall pick in the 2019 draft. Last year he caught sixty-eight passes for six hundred seventy yards and four touchdowns. Shelby Harris has been in the league for seven years now. In 2021, the thirty-year-old had six sacks for the Broncos and has had 22.5 sacks in his NFL career.

Wilson was set to make a base salary of $19 million next year and $22 million in 2023, the last year of his contract. He would have cost the Seahawks $37 million toward the salary cap this year. Now they will have $11 million of that space freed up this year. With Wilson gone, will Seattle start a complete rebuild or try to rebuild in place?

Expect to see more Seahawks moves this offseason. I’m guessing Bobby Wagner is probably next to go as the team will look to get younger and free up more salary-cap space in the years ahead. Wagner is now the Seahawks’ highest-paid player.

If you are already missing Wilson, you will see him this year against the Seahawks in Seattle as the Denver Broncos are one of the Seahawks’ home opponents this year.