Hue Jackson says Browns wouldn't have dealt for Russell Wilson after calling trade rumor 'crazy'
The coronavirus sports void has created a massive gap in the news cycle.
So when a rumor of old trade talks involving Russell Wilson to the Cleveland Browns gets bandied about, it gains traction — for better or worse.
The rumor that took NFL social media by storm reached former Browns coach Hue Jackson on Friday. He’s not buying it.
Hue Jackson: ‘I’ve never heard anything so crazy’
In fact, he called it crazy and suggested that if anything it was just Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and former Browns general manager John Dorsey “jiving around.”
“I’ve never heard anything so crazy in my life,” Jackson told “The Zach Gelb Show” on Friday. “I’m sure John [Dorsey] and John Schneider are really tight.
“I’m sure if they’re having conversations on their own, just jiving around and doing those kind of things – I would think if something was serious about that, we, the executive team and the organization, would have known. I never heard that.”
So that adds up. Jackson is skeptical along with the rest of us. But here’s the kicker — and quite possibly the most Browns-esque addition to this ridiculous rumor.
Wait, the Browns wouldn’t have taken the deal?
Jackson doesn’t think the Browns would have taken the deal, which according to NBC Sports’ Chris Simms was for the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft. Instead of taking the six-time Pro Bowl, Super Bowl-winning Seahawks quarterback in a trade, the Browns were all in on unproven Baker Mayfield.
“I don’t think so,” Jackson said when asked if the Browns would have taken the deal. “At that particular time, we had identified that Baker was our guy.
“So I don’t hear that. I don’t believe that. That wouldn’t have been my thought because it never came up.”
This is all very Browns
While absurd, it’s also 100 percent believable. Because it’s the Browns. And Hue Jackson.
Sure, the No. 1 pick in the draft holds tremendous value. But you know what holds more value? An established MVP-level quarterback in his prime.
Sure, Wilson was 30 in 2018 and headed toward the back end of his career.
But if you’re a Browns franchise in 2018 that’s languished for decades, but recently drafted a defensive anchor in Myles Garrett and also has the No. 4 overall pick in the same draft (that became Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward), you hit accept on the deal for Wilson before the Seahawks have the chance to pull the offer. There are a lot of prime years left in that tank.
But then again, if you’re the Browns, you’re the Browns. And in that instance, maybe you don’t.
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