The Seahawks’ asking price for Russell Wilson proves Cousins was right move
Joe Johnson
|
Last week on our KLDM Sports Radio show in Detroit Lakes/Fargo, we discussed what is my favorite time of year each season. It’s what I’ve dubbed ‘The Pretendies’, the time after the season and before the Draft and start of free agency.
This year’s Pretendies are looking like the most insane in modern NFL history, as a mix of what’s been called the player empowerment movement (with players dictating when and where they want to play) and the new COVID cap causing an influx of free agents that’ll create a who’s who of available talent.
This article is about the former, as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has shown that he’s unhappy with the status quo in Seattle. That doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere, as betting sites sites/apps like BetMGM on GambleColorado.com have his odds of being traded as about the same the Vikings winning a Super Bowl.
Through his nine year career, he’s been sacked more than any other other QB in the modern year. This article The Ringer points that out more succinctly than I could.
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2021/2/11/22277340/russell-wilson-seattle-seahawks-offense-offseason
“That’s been the story of Wilson’s career. In nine seasons, he’s been sacked 394 times, an average of 43.8 sacks per season—more than any other QB since the 1970 merger. He’s on track to become the most-sacked QB in league history in three years, surpassing Brett Favre’s total of 525.”
On top of that, Wilson started a frenzy by saying the following:
“Like any player, you never want to get hit,” Wilson told reporters via Zoom. “That’s the reality of playing this position; ask any quarterback who wants to play this game. But at the same time, it’s part of the job and everything else. I think that the reality is that I’ve definitely been hit. I’ve been sacked almost 400 times, so we’ve got to get better. I’ve got to find ways to get better too.”
Now it’s been announced that the asking price for Wilson is THREE first round picks, minimum. Now, it’s worth stating that the Seahawks would have to eat nearly $40 million in dead cap space in 2021 if they were to trade Wilson. That’s code for they’re not going to trade him regardless of what fit he throws.
It is worth noting, also, that while Wilson is a better quarterback than Minnesota Vikings passer Kirk Cousins, he’s showing a couple of things about the league/media.
What are those things?
The Vikings were right about Cousins
Back in 2018 many in Vikings/NFL media (and fans) were apoplectic about the contract the Vikings offered free agent Kirk Cousins. In retrospect, that was an apparent steal as quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford are garnering two first-rounders.
Now, again, Russell Wilson is a better quarterback than Cousin. I have to reiterate that, as the following is a bit revealing. Many have called Wilson’s 2020 a “career year”.
However, in the Vikings’ risk averse offense one has to wonder if giving up three first round picks would be worth the difference displayed here (between Wilson’s “career year” and Cousins’ ho-hum 2020).
Wowzers. Five more touchdowns and a .3 increase in quarterback rating? Totally worth the future crippling aforementioned trade! Especially when you consider how poorly the season started for Cousins, one could argue that Cousins’ final 3/4ths in 2020 was better than most quarterbacks’ season.
Getting back to the original point, the Vikings clearly did the right thing with Cousins as these teams that are trading for QBs are giving up a haul of picks and are also paying huge sums of money for their quarterback. The Vikings are paying Cousins a lot, but they didn’t have to give up any picks in the process .
The trade value people have assigned to Cousins is laughable
Do me a favor. Scroll back up to the images comparing Cousins and Wilson. Now, apparently the Seattle Seahawks want at least first round picks for Wilson. So, theoretically, what do/could the Vikings get for Cousins (who ironically had a very similar 2020 as Wilson (which, again, Wilson had a career year and is one of the best passers out there))?
I covered this here:
In that article, I linked to some graphics that posit that the Vikings would get a second/fourth/sixth round pick for the franchise quarterback they’ve been looking for since 1978?
That reminds me of the final part of this…
Sacks
The above proves what I’ve been saying all along, which is that the Vikings aren’t going to trade Cousins unless they really need the cap space and they’re looking for interim head coach mid-2021.
He checks nearly every other box for the Vikings. Performance? Check. Not going to the media to vent about playing behind the 29th-ranked offensive line and having scenarios in which he literally had to roll out to complete a forward pass (2018, anyone?).
If Wilson is unhappy behind the 16th ranked line, then there’s no way he’d come to Minnesota (a la DeShaun Watson).
So, stop?! Maybe? Let’s focus on what really matters. Rob Brzezinski pulling a stock trader in 1929 once he sees the COVID cap numbers.