First, Deshaun Watson.
Then, Matthew Stafford.
Now, the Dallas Cowboys are in the running for — drum roll — Seattle Seahawks superstar quarterback Russell Wilson.
Seriously.
In the wake of Wilson’s uncharacteristic public criticism, paired with a recent report that teams have inquired about the availability of the former Super Bowl champion, the Cowboys were given the second-highest odds (+600) of striking a blockbuster trade that would stunningly spell the end of the Dak Prescott era.
The Las Vegas Raiders (+300) are considered the odds-on favorite to acquire Wilson from Seattle, according to SportsBetting.ag. Other contenders include the Jacksonville Jaguars (+700), Washington Football Team (+800) and San Francisco 49ers (+900).
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Wilson Is ‘Frustrated With Getting Hit Too Much’
GettyRussell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks looks to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC Wild Card game in January 2021.
Anyone who’s watched a Seahawks game in the last five years knows the root of the issue. And it has nothing to do with the #LetRussCook movement. A chef cannot cook if he’s constantly engulfed in flames, and Wilson suffered third-degree burns in 2020.
The eight-time Pro Bowl signal-caller was sacked 47 times last season, the third-highest mark in the NFL behind Carson Wentz (50) and Watson (49) — both of whom are also the subject of intense trade speculation, with the former likely to be dealt in the coming days.
Wilson, careful not to foment national headlines, prefaced his Tuesday remarks to reporters by insisting, “I love playing for the Seahawks.” But, in the very next breath, he cried foul over what can be adjudged as pro-football negligence.
“The reality is that I think it’s frustrating being there and watching the game and sitting there. Part of it, like any player, you never want to get hit, that’s the reality of playing this position, ask any quarterback who wants to play this game. At the same time, it’s part of the job,” he said, via NFL.com.
“I’ve definitely been hit — I’ve been sacked almost 400 times. We got to get better. I got to find ways to get better, too. Just continue to try and find that. As we continue to go along the process and I think about my career and what I want to be able to do, it always starts up front, offensively and defensively. It always does. I’m grateful for the time I’ve been able to put in every day to the process. I love this game. I came to play this game to win championships.
“I’m frustrated with getting hit too much.”
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Sign up for the Heavy on Cowboys Newsletter!How Much Could the Potential Trade Cost?
GettyQB Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up prior to the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
The cost of the trade for Wilson could be unprecedentedly astronomical, to say the least. Wilson, like Watson, is an established top-five QB who, unlike Watson, has scaled football’s steepest mountaintops, winning his first Super Bowl game in 2013 against the Denver Broncos and playing in but losing his second in 2014 to the New England Patriots. This level of blockbuster doesn’t happen in the NFL. It just doesn’t.
For it to, the Seahawks would require a Ricky Williams-type caravan of premium draft picks and starting players. It’s possible the Cowboys and Prescott agree to a tag-and-trade to facilitate an exchange that boasts several first-round selections and recharts the course of franchise history for both organizations.
On top of that, Dallas would need to absorb Wilson’s $140 million contract, which expires after 2023, his age-35 campaign. One could argue it’s wiser simply to invest in Prescott, who doesn’t turn 28 until late July.
Suffice it to say, the offseason is nicknamed Silly Season for a reason. And nothing is sillier than suggesting Wilson will be shipped to the Lone Star State, nor anywhere else in the continental United States, anytime soon.
READ NEXT: Concerning Update Emerges on Dak Prescott-Cowboys Contract Negotiations
Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL
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Cowboys Among Favorites to Acquire Super Bowl-Winning QB in Unprecedented Trade