Seahawks fans who favor Russell Wilson rejoiced today when Chicago signed Andy Dalton and word emerged that Pete Carroll and John Schneider had declined an “adamant and aggressive” offer from the Bears. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Wilson won’t be traded.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Carroll and company decided they didn’t want to rebuild – i.e., they had no guarantee of a playoff quarterback to replace Wilson. But Adam Schefter of ESPN said it is possible the Seahawks change their minds later – “next month, next year, whatever it may be.”
If they are going to part with Wilson, they will want a playoff-caliber quarterback, and we think they are waiting for Houston to signal it is ready to trade Deshaun Watson. Although he is rumored to be most interested in Denver or San Francisco, he probably would be open to Seattle, too.
The Bears gave a very aggressive offer for Wilson, according to all reports. Per Dan Patrick, they offered three first-rounders, a third-rounder and two starters. Schneider and Bears GM Ryan Pace met in Fargo, N.D., during the Pro Day for North Dakota State, per Rapoport, and Schneider declined the offer.
As we have mentioned before, the Seahawks could set up a three-way deal where they flip most of those Chicago picks to Houston for Watson.
Word also has been circulating that Carroll likes Jets QB Sam Darnold (a former USC guy) and might be OK with him replacing Wilson – as underwhelming as that swap might seem to most observers.
The Bears signed Dalton for just one year, at $10 million. Nothing says they can’t drop him if the Seahawks suddenly become amenable to the blockbuster Wilson deal.
At this point, it seems like Carroll and Wilson may patch up their differences, at least for 2021. They reportedly were going to meet sometime in the near future to talk. But that conversation could go either way, depending on whether the Seahawks add the right pieces to their offensive line.
What if they don’t appease Wilson in free agency? Would he push for a trade? And, if Houston is ready to deal by draft day, would Seattle call the Bears back? Would the Bears do the deal then? Or would Wilson be open to another team (the Jets)?
This still could go a lot of ways, so don’t let the Bears’ Dalton signing fool you into thinking it is over.
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 
*There’s no offer the Bears could make on their own that would so much as tempt Seattle. But it was their first shot: The Dalton signing is about hedging their bets, no more. Signing Matt Flynn didn’t keep SEA from drafting RW
*The Sam Darnold thing sounds an awful lot like an offhand remark getting blown out of proportion
*SEA and RW are getting hammered for not re-doing RW’s contract (according to Clayton, Wilson is being “selfish”). You have the right of that one, though: SEA would hamstring itself if they extended RW
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Two thoughts on the Darnold thing:
(1) It has been mentioned in three unique reports (Herd, NYDN, ChiTrib)
(2) They all might have the same source who is full of it
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