Much of the Jets’ offseason rides on the quarterback position, with options that could arise through the draft, trade or by sticking with Sam Darnold.
Should the Jets decide to go the trade route, Deshaun Watson is the big name that could potentially be in play should the Texans decide to deal their superstar. But what about Russel Wilson? Could he be a potential option as New York’s next franchise quarterback?
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio seems to think there’s a chance.
“I’m wondering if there are more teams that Russell Wilson would accept a trade to that were not identified by Mark Rodgers, and if they’re high enough in the draft order, for example the Jets, if they would be a team that Russell Wilson would play for,” Florio told Moose & Maggie on Tuesday. “The Jets have the second overall pick, is that enough of a foundation of a package to get the Seahawks’ attention?”
The Jets were not among the teams that Rodgers, Wilson’s agent, listed as potential landing spots, but the teams he did name come with their own complications.
“I think the problem is the four teams his agent identified a few weeks ago, the Cowboys, the Bears, the Raiders and Saints, the Cowboys and Saints are not going to make a play for Russell Wilson,” Florio said. “They have their quarterback situations taken care of. The Bears and Raiders are the other two, but the problem is they don’t have the draft pick compensation that may be necessary to get the Seahawks’ attention.”
Wilson, now 32 years old, could prefer to be traded to a team more set up to win in the short term, but that wouldn’t necessarily knock the Jets out of contention to land him, should they elect to go that route.
“If Russell Wilson is as good as he thinks he is, then he can convince himself that it could happen quickly,” Florio said of Wilson turning New York into a contender. “Remember, a couple of years ago when he was renegotiating his latest contract with the Seahawks, the Giants got kicked around as a potential destination for him, and the Giants weren’t exactly in a position where they just plug in a quarterback and they’d be a contender.”
Wilson would present the Jets with a chance to boast a star quarterback for the first time in decades, and while he’s approaching the downturn of his career, Florio believes if he landed in New York, he would stick around and try to give the franchise the contending team it’s been starving for.
“It’s a longer term play for Russell Wilson who intends to play until he’s 45,” Florio said. “I don’t think he wants to bounce around from team to team. He’s looking to land in a spot where he can cement his legacy…He wants to play for a team that runs an offense through him, similar to what the Chiefs do with Patrick Mahomes. He’s either going to get it from the Seahawks, or he wants from someone else.”
Listen to Florio's entire segment on Moose & Maggie below!
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