Getty QB Russell Wilson.
Are you sitting down, Chicago Bears fans? Because the Russell Wilson talk is louder than ever — and it’s too loud to ignore at this point. Several of the NFL’s top insiders are saying two things: Wilson’s interest in Chicago is legitimate, and Seattle is unhappy with the 32-year-old veteran quarterback.
First, Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN last week that the Bears were on his client’s shortlist of desired teams should he eventually be traded (the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints were the others). A report by The Athletic came out the same day detailing Wilson’s unhappiness with his input not being considered in Seattle’s offense, and now, specific details about why Russ wouldn’t mind cooking in Chicago have emerged — and it’s very good news for the Bears.
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Wilson Likes Bears Young O-line, Matt Nagy & City of Chicago
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears are likely getting ready to make an offer for Wilson — if they haven’t already — and if what Fowler says is true, Wilson is becoming more than a pipe dream for the Bears. “I expect the Chicago Bears to at least take their shot here,” Fowler said. “A source told me Russell Wilson likes that they have an emerging offensive line, a good, solid offensive-minded coach in Matt Nagy and they have an intriguing market in Chicago.”
Then, Fowler noted that while Seattle isn’t actively in trade talks with Wilson now, that may not be the case in just a short period of time.
I keep hearing from the Seattle side that they’re not going to deal him, they have nothing in the works. Russell Wilson himself does not expect to be dealt right now, but Wilson is watching the situation closely because he wants more … He wants to see himself better protected, some future plans in place. If he doesn’t feel like he’s getting that in the next weeks or months, he could make this even more difficult and up the ante publicly, so we’ll see. Maybe that opens the door for the Bears, but they’ll have some backup plans too.
Hit on the Bears’ outlook on
@SportsCenter: Why Russell Wilson likes Chicago, how Seattle is handling this, fallback options, Mitch Trubisky’s chances of a return and Allen Robinson.
What’s curious is that none of the other three teams Wilson is interested in have had specific qualities he finds attractive leak — just the Bears, who have nothing to lose at this point, particularly considering how things currently look in Seattle.
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Seahawks Reportedly Not Happy With Wilson
Per Mike Silver of Sports Illustrated, the Seahawks are not happy with Wilson. ESPN’s Dianna Russini also went on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday and threw more fuel on the fire: “I know there’s been calls made on both sides,” Russini said. “From Seattle, and to other teams.” The Seahawks aren’t shopping Wilson, per se, Russini says, but they’re taking calls from interested parties. We can only assume Chicago is making some of those calls.
“Right now, for us, everything is on the table in regard to the quarterback situation and honestly that includes players on our current roster, that includes free agency, trade, the draft and a combination of all those. So, we have a plan in place and now it’s about executing that plan,” Bears GM Ryan Pace said Tuesday.
Neither Pace nor Nagy commented publicly about Wilson, citing the fact that he’s a player currently under contract with another team, but considering how starved for a franchise quarterback Chicago is, Pace shouldn’t have much battery life left in his cell phone if he’s serious about everything being on the table.
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Interest Between Bears & Russell Wilson Hits New Heights: Report