The Broncos landed a star quarterback on Tuesday — just not the one everyone expected.
A short time after Aaron Rodgers agreed to remain with the Packers, the Broncos pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seahawks, according to multiple reports. The Broncos had been seen as the favorites to land Rodgers if he moved on from Green Bay. Instead, they will move forward with Wilson, who is five years younger than Rodgers.
The trade is pending a physical and Wilson waiving his no-trade clause, and it cannot become official until the new league year begins March 16.
Seattle will send Wilson and a fourth-round pick to the Broncos in exchange for quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick.
For Denver, Wilson is the franchise quarterback it has been searching for since Peyton Manning retired following the 2015 Super Bowl season. The Seahawks are now stocked up for a rebuild.
The Seahawks have enjoyed a decade of success with Wilson as their quarterback. The 2012 third-round pick led them to the franchise’s only Super Bowl win in 2013 (coincidentally over the Broncos) and they returned to the Super Bowl in 2014, where they lost to the Patriots when Wilson was intercepted at the goal line in the closing moments of the game. Wilson has more wins than any quarterback has posted in his first 10 seasons.
ESPN reported the Broncos were Wilson’s preferred destination.
Denver has a strong roster but had been searching for a quarterback. The Broncos have gone through 10 starting quarterbacks since Manning. They have had a different starting quarterback in each of the last five season openers: Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Lock and Teddy Bridgewater.
Denver finished 7-10 last season and fired coach Vic Fangio. The Broncos replaced him with Nathaniel Hackett, who was seen as a link to landing Rodgers since he had served as his offensive coordinator in Green Bay. The Broncos have several promising young receivers in Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler.
With Wilson, the Broncos are now armed to compete with the other strong quarterbacks in the AFC West such as Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr.
For Seattle, it will be interesting how they replace Wilson. Backup Geno Smith is set to be a free agent. They now have Lock, but it is hard to see him as a long-term solution. The trade package gives the Seahawks a solid foundation on which to rebuild.
Wilson was going to count $37 million against the Seahawks’ salary cap this year. The trade saves Seattle $11 million in cap space. The Seahawks take on $26 million in dead money by trading him, the second-most dead money a team has ever incurred, according to ESPN. The Eagles took on $33.8 million in dead money when they traded Carson Wentz last year.
Wilson has two years and $51 million left on his contract.
It has been clear that Wilson and the Seahawks were heading toward divorce since last offseason when Wilson publicly criticized the organization over his lack of input into personnel decisions and how poor his offensive line has been.
This past season, Wilson started off strong and then missed time with a finger injury before playing well down the stretch.
