Report: Seahawks talked Russell Wilson trade with Browns in 2018

Russell Wilson is a perennial MVP candidate and one of the best players in the NFL. The thought of trading him seems crazy. But apparently it’s something the Seahawks considered.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote an article on Thursday discussing the possibility of Seattle eventually trading Wilson.

In the article, Florio shares that fellow NBC Sports figure Chris Simms previously said that Seattle talked with the Cleveland Browns about a Wilson trade in 2018. The deal would have been for the No. 1 pick, which Cleveland used on Baker Mayfield.

The 2018 NFL Draft was deep on quarterbacks, with Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson all going in the first round. Seattle clearly thought there was some value in potentially having one of those QBs on a rookie deal rather than give Wilson his eventual 4-year, $140 million deal.

Florio believes that Seattle still may eventually trade the 31-year-old quarterback, but he feels that could happen at some point later in Wilson’s deal. Wilson will be in the final year of his deal in 2023 and his cap hit if traded would be $13 million that year.

Wilson is a six-time Pro Bowler, has never missed a regular season game, and seems to be in his prime. Maybe Seattle will consider getting rid of him before the prime ends.