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Russell Wilson’s “non-trade request” to the Seattle Seahawks was already odd given his agent Mark Rodgers went public with a list of the four teams the quarterback would waive his no-trade clause to play. The Bears seemed like an odd fit next to the Cowboys, Raiders and Saints, but Wilson appears to be enthusiastic about the idea of playing in Chicago. During an interview on the Waddle and Silvy Show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that Wilson “would happily” sign off on a trade to the Bears.
“If the Bears struck a deal with the Seahawks Russell Wilson would happily accept his walking papers to the Windy City,” Schefter noted, via Yahoo Sports. “…(Wilson) has the Bears on his list of teams that he would be willing to go to. I don’t know why that is. Obviously he’s not happy with the offensive line protection in Seattle, he’s not happy with the way some of the things have been done there, but he is open to going to Chicago. I didn’t help him make the list, so I can’t say why the Bears are on it and other teams aren’t. I just know that they are.”
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Wilson’s Openness to Playing for the Bears Is in Part Because of Jimmy Graham
The Raiders and Saints both make sense as the teams have perceived quarterback gurus as head coaches. Dallas is one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world, and the Cowboys have plenty of offensive firepower.
The Bears have significantly fewer weapons than the Seahawks, but Wilson may view it as a desirable destination for things unrelated to football. NBC Sports’ Peter King detailed a few of the reasons why Wilson likes the Bears including the city along with his close relationship with former Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham.
“As for the Bears, I think there are three things at play: Chicago tight end Jimmy Graham is a good friend of Wilson’s, and he’s told him good things about the team and the city,” King explained. “Wilson loves the sporting zeal of the city, the love for the Cubs, the love for the Bears, and might look at it like, Chicago hasn’t had a lot of great quarterbacks, and I could be one. Maybe I could be the missing piece, and how crazy would Chicago go if the Bears ever got great again? And I think he loves the city.”
The Dead Cap Hit Makes the Seahawks Trading Wilson Unlikely, at Least This Season
There is a bevy of reasons the Seahawks are unlikely to trade Wilson this offseason, namely he is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Then there are the salary cap complications that would force the Seahawks to take a more than $30 million dead money hit.
The bigger fear is that Wilson is setting the table for forcing his way out of Seattle after the 2021 season. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer described Wilson’s current relationship with the Seahawks as “complicated.”
“So what exactly, Carroll or Schneider might ask, does Wilson want that he isn’t getting?” Breer pondered in his March 1 column. “And is it possible that the best conclusion for everyone might be that he gets it somewhere else? Would they actually trade Wilson? My answer would reflect the quarterback’s relationship status with the team that drafted him in the third round nearly nine years ago: It’s complicated.”
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Russell Wilson Would ‘Happily’ Okay Trade to a Surprising Team: Report