Philadelphia Eagles rumors: Russell Wilson trade a real possibility

When the Philadelphia Eagles pulled the trigger on trading back from pick 6 to pick 12, there was a bit of a silent “clause” attached to the trade that a lot of people chose to ignore at first. As much as everyone wants to see Jalen Hurts take the reins and run with things this season, three first-round picks in one draft puts Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles in prime position to target a new franchise quarterback next offseason.

Whether it’s through the draft (similar to how the 49ers moved up from 12 to 3 to select a QB), or through a massive blockbuster trade, there’s a healthy amount of smoke surrounding the Eagles’ potential pursuit of a new signal caller in 2022.

While the odds of Deshaun Watson getting moved anytime soon seem slim due to concerns regarding his current lawsuit situation, another MVP candidate QB could still be nearing a divorce with his respective team.

According to at least one NFL executive, the Eagles – multiple first-round picks in hand – are “in the driver’s seat” when it comes to a potential Russell Wilson trade next offseason:

"More from Section 2154 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster SpotsBest Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn SipossCowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak PrescottDevon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles“All they’re doing is stockpiling picks for next year, so they can get weapons for Jalen Hurts or acquire one of the top two overall picks to draft a quarterback,” an exec said. “And I would put Philly in the driver’s seat for Russell Wilson next year if Seattle moves him. That would have Howie Roseman written all over it.”"

From Mike Sando’s piece in The Athletic “NFL free agency wins, losses and questions for all 32 teams: Execs on Pats and Giants’ spending, Bucs’ strategy, more”  (Subscription required)

Philadelphia Eagles “in the driver’s seat” for potential Russell Wilson trade.

While the idea of trading multiple elite-tier assets for yet another highly paid quarterback might frustrate some, this is exactly the type of move we should expect from Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie. Not only has this current regime been addicted to constantly improving their QB room (Vick, Bradford, Daniels, Wentz, Foles, Hurts, etc.), but they’ve been unashamedly obsessed with Russell Wilson since the moment he entered the league

Speaking on why he drafted Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall pick this past offseason, Roseman was quick to reference how the Eagles infamously passed on Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft:

"“In 2012, we had a vision,” Roseman said. “We had a vision that we would draft a quarterback who’s been extremely successful, and I don’t want tampering charges on me but I think we can understand who that was.”When Roseman talks about getting cute back in 2012, this is what he means: The Eagles thought Wilson was going to be there with the 88th overall pick. Their plan was to take him at 88 and then draft Nick Foles in the fourth round. But their plan was ruined when the Seahawks took Wilson at No. 75."

While the Eagles were ultimately successful in winning a world championship under the watch of Roseman back in 2018, it’s not hard to piece together that he’s been kicking himself for passing on Russ back in 2012. The Seahawks themselves have only won one Super Bowl with Wilson as their starting QB, but they’ve been a beacon of dominance and consistency in the NFC West since drafting the former North Carolina State QB.

In fact – as crazy as this stat may sound – Wilson has never won fewer than nine regular season games as QB of the Seahawks. For someone as obsessed with quarterback talent as Howie Roseman, that’s surely a statistic that he’s very familiar with.

Based on my own personal understanding of the situation, Russ won’t get traded this season (the Seahawks would actually lose cap space by doing so). However, next year’s offseason could definitely be in play. Wilson and his camp haven’t been particularly shy in regards to expressing their displeasure in Seattle, and one more year of poor offensive line play could be the tipping point.

If Russ and the Seahawks do get to that point next offseason, it sounds like Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles will be one of the first teams to call – and according to this one league executive, have a pretty good shot at landing the multi-time Pro Bowler.