NEWSLETTER
Buzz surrounding Russell Wilson’s availability continues to grow. As do rumors surrounding his reported interest in the Chicago Bears.
In addition to reports that Wilson’s camp spoke with the Seahawks about acceptable trade destinations (which included the Bears), Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune adds depth, perspective, and insight to the situation.
Among the juiciest nuggets:
The appeal of the Bears for Wilson is that Chicago would be a huge media market for his wife, Ciara, and the Bears have a playoff-ready defense.
“He’d want to go to a place like (Chicago) figuring he could get a couple players to come with him and then do what Tom Brady did in Tampa — win a Super Bowl,” the source said.
BOING!
The appeal of Chicago, at least in the eyes of this source, is that Wilson could see the Bears as a legitimate Super Bowl contender upon arrival. And why wouldn’t he? Chicago boasts a defense that just put up back-to-back top-10 seasons (based on Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric). It isn’t much of a stretch to think that a team that won 28 games over the last three years with Mitchell Trubisky at the helm has another gear if a quarterback upgrade comes to town. Adding Wilson as a recruiting tool could certainly raise Chicago’s profile to free agents. At a surface level, all of this tracks.
Seriously … where do I sign up?
Obviously, it’s never that easy. The Seahawks will likely try to keep Wilson for as long as they can, and a source tells Biggs that, in addition to the Bears, the Cowboys and Raiders are teams to keep an eye on. The omission of the Saints here is notable, however, and could be due to the salary cap issues facing New Orleans.
Additionally, the source passes along that Wilson isn’t interested in joining the Jets, as he doesn’t want to get in on the ground floor of a rebuild. And for good measure, the source added that the Dolphins aren’t of interest for Wilson, who sees the destination as a distraction for players who he could recruit. Because, again, we’r talking about Wilson reaching into the Tom Brady playbook and going on his own recruitment tour.
We’re so early in this process. But there’s plenty of smoke and I can’t get enough.
In the meantime, read Biggs’ latest at The Tribune for a larger view of a developing situation that’s got my eyes popping out of their sockets like a cartoon.
Russell Wilson would reportedly be open to playing for the #Bears.
That's a great first step for Ryan Pace. But would the #Seahawks actually consider trading their franchise quarterback?https://t.co/CnhLg3fc3M
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) February 25, 2021
