4 potential Commanders domino effects from Russell Wilson trade
By Jerry Trotta
Fans of the Washington Commanders are all too familiar with the feeling of deja vu. As sure as the sky is blue and the grass is green, the organization is bound to have a major question mark at the quarterback position.
On Tuesday, that question mark was boldened and grew several fonts, as two preeminent quarterbacks came off the market.
The first domino was Aaron Rodgers, who agreed to a four-year, $200 million contract extension with the Packers.
The next domino hurt much more, as Russell Wilson, widely said to be the Commanders’ foremost QB target, was traded to the Denver Broncos for multiple draft picks and players, including 2019 second-rounder Drew Lock.
It’s a lackluster haul for a QB of Wilson’s caliber, but we suppose Seattle lost some of its leverage by wanting him out of the NFC. Either way, this blockbuster trade impacts Washington in more ways than one.
Despite losing out on (another) franchise QB, there are a number of domino effects that could affect Washington down the road.
4 Commanders-related domino effects from the Russell Wilson trade
4. Could Seahawks pursue Jimmy Garoppolo?
Just because the Seahawks don’t have Russell Wilson anymore doesn’t mean they want to completely blow up the roster. After all, Pete Carroll will turn 71 in September and likely doesn’t care for the idea of coaching through a rebuild.
In the event Seattle looks to upgrade on Drew Lock, which they should do, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area proposed the idea of the Seahawks trading for Jimmy Garoppolo. Here’s what Maiocco had to say.
"Fresh off the NFL Scouting Combine, teams recognize there is no plug-and-play quarterback in this year’s draft. Nobody in the 2022 NFL Draft class is considered a Day 1 starter. And that makes Jimmy Garoppolo look even more attractive — even if he cannot throw a football until late June or early July after undergoing shoulder surgery."
Inner-division trades, let a lone ones involving a quarterback, are an extreme rarity in today’s NFL. It explains why the Seahawks were hell-bent on shipping Wilson to the opposite conference. Same with Rodgers and the Packers before he signed his extension. However, what if the deal benefits both parties?
If Carroll is as stubborn behind the scenes with personnel decisions as he is with developing the running game, we can definitely picture a scenario in which he pursues Garoppolo to prove that he can without without Wilson.
If you hadn’t noticed, the NFC just got much worse from a competitive standpoint, so maybe Carroll has a trick up his sleeve.