By Oliver Strzelczyk of Europe’s Elite
Following an extraordinary end to the NFL’s 2021-22 campaign, many fans fell into a deep state of melancholic emptiness. Being tasked with surviving nine full months without football seemed impossible, but this was quickly proved wrong. First, the USFL set up, building on a similar concept to the XFL. Then came March 8th, the pinnacle of the NFL’s offseason trading universe.
In the early morning, NFL insiders reported that Aaron Rodgers had signed a four-year contract with the Packers worth $200m. This came as a major shock to the league given that the star QB had been teasing the Green Bay organisation for the past two seasons, consecutively blasting threats of leaving due to internal friction. The Denver Broncos, who clearly had been struggling with the hunt for a high-calibre Quarterback, were put in a critical position of desperately having to finally climb the ladder and pick up the best product from the top shelf. Their reaction was almost instant, shaking league medias and fanbases to their core.
On the same day as Aaron Rodgers was snatched from the possibility of signing through free-agency, Denver made the call to grab 9-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champion – Russel Wilson. The weeks-long negotiations came to a close with an agreement to send Drew Lock ( QB ), Noah Fant ( TE ), Shelby Harris ( DL ), two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick in return for Pete Carroll’s main weapon alongside a fourth-round pick.
The trade satisfies Denver’s need for a league-leading QB since Peyton Manning retired in 2016. Wilson will now be their 12th QB since then, sparking hopes of bringing back the glory that Bronco’s fans have longed for. However, what image and future does this paint for Seattle?
Following a drama-free 2021 season, Wilson spoke about his desire to remain in Seattle, yet fell short of officially declaring that he would in fact remain a Seahawk. During his time at the franchise, he become their all time leader in passing categories and more notably the only QB that brought a ring home. It must be noted, however, that Seattle has by no means ‘lost’ the trade when giving Russel away. Shelby Harris, for example, put up 6 sacks and 49 combined tackles last season, making him a positive and worthwhile addition to the rush-heavy defence that Pete Carroll has been building with playmakers such as Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams. Furthermore, if the draft picks Seattle has obtained for Wilson are that of the 2022 Draft, they will have their hands on the 9th overall pick, from which they can steal yet another QB of high potential such as Matt Corral, Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder or Sam Howell. The future for Seattle, despite elements of uncertainty, may therefore be cemented in the right direction. How then, does the trade impact the rest of the NFL?
.@jerryjeudy's reaction to the Packers bringing back Aaron Rodgers vs finding out Russell Wilson is his new QB 😂 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/2f9JqhVDtG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 8, 2022
One major organisation in the NFL is said to control the league. Not the Superbowl winners, not the Bengals, not even Green Bay or New England. It is Houston who are argued to be in the best of positions at the moment. Deshaun Watson resists suiting up for the organisation but is also under legal pressure following a set of sexual-misconduct and harassment accusations. Despite this, he remains the most valuable asset to the team due to his price. GM Nick Caserio has pointed out that Deshaun’s asking price has not changed, meaning that the organisation will leave the price tag of several first-rounders, several second-rounders and a valuable player when trading Watson away. However, following Rodger’s contract extension and the Wilson trade, Houston’s star remains the only tradable high-calibre QB. Carson Wentz has claimed that his days in Indy are looking ‘numbered’, thus placing the Colts as a potential landing spot for Watson. The Commanders, Steelers, Panthers, Lions and Falcons are also in the hunt, with each being able to give away a different amount of draft capital. What’s more important is that the trades of March 8th have elevated the price for Houston’s QB, meaning that newly-appointed HC Lovie Smith can rapidly speed up the rebuild with a single trade at any given time.
The NFL has been torn apart by the news of today’s trades. Green Bay extended their loyalty to Aaron Rodgers and later further cemented their own future by franchise tagging WR Davante Adams. In the mean time, Seattle lost their star to the Broncos in return for a package of potential. A fascinating consequence of this all is the power the Texans have now gained over the league. Can we therefore expect either of these teams to reach the Lombardi Trophy?