The Philadelphia Eagles have their franchise quarterback in breakout star Jalen Hurts. In 2022 the dynamic dual-threat by way of Alabama and Oklahoma led the Eagles to within seconds of winning their second Super Bowl in the last six seasons. In doing so Hurts asserted himself as the guy in the City of Brotherly Love.
But that almost didn’t happen, as the franchise was reportedly all in on trading for then=Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during the start of the 2022 offseason. If not for Wilson’s refusal to waive his no-trade clause as he did for a couple teams, including the Washington Commanders, Wilson would’ve likely been the starter in Philly last season.
The Breakdown
Recently during an appearance on Seattle’s ESPN radio affiliate, Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop spoke on how the Wilson-to-Philly move nearly came about and why it came to abrupt halt, without ever coming to fruition.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman has been on a tear the last couple drafts and offseasons, but following the 2021 season which saw the Eagles make the playoffs, team brass still wasn’t sold on the aforementioned Hurts. With rumors of Wilson and the Seahawks looking to part ways for the second consecutive offseason, and other rumors of him wanting to stay in the Pacific Northwest, Philly jumped at the opportunity to land the perennial Pro Bowl QB.
“I think what I would say is that the Eagles really wanted him — I think they like his style of play, and I think that makes sense, right, because he’s similar to Jalen Hurts, especially when he was in his prime and a little bit faster than now,” Bishop said. “My understanding is that at that point in time, Russ wanted to stay here in Seattle.”
That didn’t happen, and it turned out to the best move that Roseman has made, one he didn’t make. Hurts had a career year and finished second in MVP voting, while Wilson had a disastrous first season in Denver. In all, the Eagles look like they dodged a bullet.
Wilson In Philly Would’ve Made Entire League Look Much Different
Wilson’s no-trade clause was the real sticking point in why he ended up in Denver and not somewhere else like Philly. Because of that caveat the Seahawks really didn’t hold much leverage in the situation because of Wilson’s veto power. Minus that in his back pocket, Wilson is very likely the Eagles starter today and sitting on a massive contract as he in Denver.
The Eagles definitely had the picks and trade pieces to get the deal done, but to no avail.
Because of that Hurts was able to play his way into a huge offseason deal as the maestro of the Eagles run-based passing game, which features a ton of run pass option. That’s something Hurts looks much more comfortable doing than the 34-year-old Wilson does at this stage of his career.
Philly is now a Super Bowl contender for the foreseeable future, and the Broncos are hopeful the Wilson and Sean Payton marriage can right the ship out in the Rockies.
