Eagles had serious interest in a Russell Wilson trade… but Wilson nixed it
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is among the best in the business right now, given the deals he’s made and the players he’s selected in the draft to build one of the NFL’s most stacked rosters. That roster made it to Super Bowl LVII and nearly beat the Chiefs.
However, as is the case in all areas of life, there are those times when the things you want, and don’t get, work out the best for you.
Per Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop, appearing on Seattle’s ESPN radio affiliate, the Eagles had serious interest in a deal with the Seattle Seahawks for Russell Wilson that Wilson nixed before the deal that eventually sent Wilson to the Denver Broncos for players and a flurry of draft picks.
“I think what I would say is that the Eagles really wanted him – I think they liked his style of play, and I think that makes sense, right, because he’s similar to Jalen Hurts, especially when he was in his prime and a little bit faster than now,” Bishop said. “My understanding is that at that point in time, Russ wanted to stay here [in Seattle].”
Quarterback coach Jake Heaps, who has worked with Wilson for years, brought this up back in 2022 on Denver station KOA, after the Broncos deal happened. Heaps was more definitive about the deal.
“The reason why this [deal] happened so quickly and progressed quickly is because, one, Denver was working on this behind the scenes for a while now,” Heaps said back then. “The other reason is because the Seahawks were limited, guys. There’s not real leverage if there’s only a certain amount of teams that Russell Wilson’s actually interested in or be willing to waive his no-trade clause for.
“He turned down the Washington [Commanders] 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.”
Meanwhile, the Broncos had been investigating the possibility of getting Aaron Rodgers in a trade, which was a primary reason they hired Nathaniel Hackett, who worked with Rodgers in Green Bay, to be their head coach.
In the end, it all worked out for the Eagles, as Jalen Hurts became the earthmover they needed in their run-based passing game. It did not work out at all for the Broncos, of course, as Wilson’s historic regression made the trade look like an all-time heist for Seattle.
Now, it’s up to new Broncos head coach Sean Payton to get the most out of Wilson, or… not.
