The Washington Commanders made a valiant effort to land Russell Wilson, at one point offering the Seattle Seahawks three first-round picks for the Super Bowl-winning quarterback. In the end, it seems the situation was beyond their control, no matter their offer, because Wilson wasn't willing to waive his no-trade clause to come to Washington.
According to Seattle sports radio host Jake Heaps, a close personal friend of the now Denver-bound quarterback, Wilson personally "turned down the Washington offer," as well as a separate offer from the Philadelphia Eagles.
"The Seattle Seahawks were limited, guys. There's not real leverage if there's only a certain amount of teams that Russell Wilson's actually gonna be interested in or be willing to waive his no-trade clause for," Heaps told Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright Tuesday night on Denver's KOA 850 AM. "He turned down the Washington offer. He turned down an offer from Philly during the combine. And the Denver situation was the clear-cut number one choice for him going into all these other teams."
"And so when the Seahawks are limited from that aspect, there's not really a reason to try and drive up the asking price because you don't really have as big of a bargaining chip," he said.
Heaps went on to say there were maybe two teams for whom Wilson would have been willing to waive his no-trade clause, Denver being one of them.
106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen was first to report Washington offered three first-round picks for Wilson. Another key factor ruling the Commanders out of the equation was Seattle's reported unwillingness to trade their Super Bowl-winning quarterback within the NFC.
Per Ben Standig of The Athletic:
"Washington’s initial offer to Seattle for Wilson included three first-round picks, a source close to the team told The Athletic, confirming multiple reports.
"However, talks did not progress, as the sense became that the Seahawks sought a landing spot outside of the NFC for Wilson. A source from a different NFC team that was in conversation with the Seahawks relayed the same feeling to The Athletic."
JP Finlay offered up this tidbit Wednesday morning on 106.7 The Fan's 'BMitch & Finlay.'
"I was told last night Washington offered three ones and they were willing to move players, also. Players, plural," Finlay said. "Like, I do not believe they wouldn't have given a better offer than Denver had there been a conversation where, 'Hey, we want an offer from you.'"
Even if Seattle preferred sending Wilson to the AFC, the far greater stumbling block for the Commanders, it appears, was Wilson's unwillingness to consider the other Washington as a viable home. That stumbling block, according to Heaps, was in fact a nonstarter.