2 ways Commanders can get revenge on Seahawks for Russell Wilson

If you thought the Washington Commanders‘ search for a new quarterback was complicated, it grew tenfold in that regard on Tuesday.

While it was never likely Aaron Rodgers was coming to Washington, it shocked everyone when news broke he signed a four-year, $200 million extension with the Packers. That’s not a typo, folks. Fifty-million per year.

Of course, that news paled in comparison to Russell Wilson getting traded to the Broncos, less than a week after Pete Carroll insisted Seattle had “no intention” of trading the nine-time Pro Bowler this offseason.

During an appearance on The TODAY Show last week, Wilson was adamant in declaring his preference to stay on the west coast.

Turns out neither was true.

The Commanders, meanwhile, are reckoning with (reportedly) offering the Seahawks three first-round draft picks for Wilson and getting rejected by Seattle when they offered to add a player to sweeten the pot.

At the end of the day, the Seahawks wanted no part of trading Wilson within the conference, so Washington was screwed from the jump. Not all hope is lost, however. There’s still a path for Ron Rivera to get revenge on Seattle.

How can the Commanders get revenge on Seattle for rejecting their trade offer for Russell Wilson?

1. Sign Bobby Wagner

What better way to avenge missing out on Wilson than signing one of Seattle’s most iconic players of the last 20 years? Just hours after the blockbuster trade, the Seahawks released linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Unlike most free agents, Wagner’s release makes him eligible to sign with another team immediately. To say the Commanders should be all over this would be an understatement. Despite being 32 years old (Washington signed London Fletcher at the same age) Wagner is arguably the best LB in the game.

On top of hosting a Lombardi Trophy with the Seahawks in 2014, Wagner’s been a first-team All-Pro on six occasions, made the Pro Bowl in eight of his 10 seasons in Seattle and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

We can’t think of a team with a bigger need at LB than Washington, and while signing Wagner would take snaps away from Jamin Davis, this is a move you make without thinking twice about it and worry about the repercussions later.

Since 2019, Wagner’s 467 combined tackles rank first in the NFL; 64 more than the second-place finisher. During that span, he’s played 48 of 49 games while playing 97.3% of the snaps and earning a 83.6 run-defense grade from PFF.

There will likely be a sizable bidding war for Wagner’s services, but Washington shouldn’t blink with $33.83 million in cap space.

Forget getting revenge on Wilson. These opportunities don’t come around very often and singing Wagner would be transformative for a defense that’s seemingly a stud middle linebacker away from becoming a top-five unit in the NFL.