Last offseason, Russell Wilson was sent to the Denver Broncos as part of a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks. But as has recently been revealed, Wilson almost ended up on another roster instead as the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly “really wanted” the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated and Seattle Sports podcast host Mike Salk recently discussed the would-be trade, revealing that Russell Wilson was “very nearly” traded to the Philadelphia Eagles before Wilson ultimately decided to nix the trade and stay with the Seattle Seahawks instead.
“I gotta hear more about ‘Russell Wilson was very nearly an Eagle’ etc,” Salk told Bishop on the podcast. “I had heard that too. My understanding was that deal was basically done and Russ killed it.”
Bishop agreed with Salk’s understanding of the situation, explaining that the Eagles “really wanted” Wilson before he shut down the trade talks.
“I think what I’d say is that the Eagles really wanted him,” Bishop said. “I think they liked his style of play and I think that makes sense, right? He’s similar to Jalen Hurts, especially when he was in his prime and was a little bit faster than now. And my understanding is at that point in time, Russ wanted to stay here. And then ultimately, that’s not what happened.”
It’s a pretty shocking thing to learn in hindsight, and it generated plenty of buzz on social media.
Russell Wilson may have tanked his own legacy & HOF spot by ditching #Seahawks for "likely to NEVER make playoffs while he's QB1" #Broncos, when he could've become a superstar w/ #Eagles.
Philly's poor decision was thwarted by Russ' poor decision & Jalen Hurts is now a star. https://t.co/xI7bjL2Zw4
— Author Jameis1of1 (@jameis1of1) June 2, 2023
Let them tell it they’ve always believed in Hurts lol https://t.co/UqVASjFp9H
— (Foots The King) (@FootsDaKing) June 2, 2023
Putting it out there that you specifically chose NOT to be a Philadelphia Eagle kind of makes it hard for you to move freely throughout the below area without being harassed publicly… @EROCK_Eagles https://t.co/NyyWifSaFn pic.twitter.com/VFmyTnVtvr
— The Mailman (@OBTheMailman) June 2, 2023
The Eagles ended up getting an MVP-like season from Jalen Hurts instead.
Sometimes its the deals that don't come through that end up being the best for your team.
Eagles fans are surely thankful for Russell Wilson refusing to go there.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 2, 2023
Exactly, Jalen Hurts took his chance and ran with it, all the way to an MVP-like season, Super Bowl trip, and the highest paid QB in NFL history at signing.
Worked out great for Philly 👏
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 2, 2023
Obviously, it worked out for the Eagles. But the NFL landscape certainly would have looked different if this trade had gone through.
