Reports: Commanders made ‘strong’ offer for Russell Wilson originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Seattle Seahawks aren’t actively shopping quarterback Russell Wilson on the trade market, but the QB-needy Commanders reportedly reached out with a serious offer anyway in hopes of convincing them to part ways with the nine-time Pro Bowler.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Commanders offered a “strong” trade package for Wilson but talks “didn’t go anywhere.” Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post confirmed Washington made an offer, characterizing it as “competitive.”
How serious are the #Commanders in their search for a QB? Sources say they made a strong offer to the #Seahawks on Russell Wilson. It didn’t go anywhere. But a sign Washington is ready to deal. And given what they have on their roster, they may be a QB away.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2022
Head coach Ron Rivera has been public about Washington’s intentions to land a quarterback this offseason, even going as far to wonder aloud, “Does anybody really care what was traded for Matthew Stafford last year?” before answering his own question, “Nope.”
“We feel like we’ve canvassed the league pretty effectively and we’ve spoken to everybody, every club that has a quarterback we think might be available,” Commanders GM Martin Mayhew said in a scrum with reporters at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. “We’ve done that work and we feel good about where we are in that process right now.”
The Commanders are coming off a season in which the franchise went 7-10 with Taylor Heinicke taking a majority of the snaps under center. Ryan Fitzpatrick was originally signed to be their starting QB, but he suffered a season-ending hip injury in Week 1 and his one-year deal has him back in free agency at 39 years old.
With a weak class of quarterback prospects available in this year’s draft, Rivera has shown a preference for finding a veteran signal caller to fit into their playoff-hopeful roster. Wilson, 33, fits the bill after laying the foundation for a Hall of Fame career during his 10 seasons in Seattle.
Though the Seahawks’ roster has lost a lot of the star power that helped them reach the playoffs in eight of nine seasons between 2012 and 2020, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters at the Combine the team has “no intention” of trading Wilson.
Pete Carroll on trade calls for Russell Wilson: “We have no intention of making any move there, but the conversations, John [Schneider] has to field those. He always has.” pic.twitter.com/QlA1aBOm1p
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 2, 2022
Even if Wilson is unavailable, the Commanders appear to be all-in on upgrading the quarterback position this offseason. Washington has been unable to find a long-term solution under center for the last five years and, with over $30 million in cap space, a wide range of avenues for doing so are available to them.
