Brian Baldinger discusses the possibility of Russell Wilson being traded: "It's about what Jeff said about LeBron, 'let's go where we can win Championships'. If Joe Montana can get traded, Russell Wilson can get traded."
Friday 12 February 2021 13:00, UK
Brian Baldinger has refused to rule out the possibility of the Seattle Seahawks trading quarterback Russell Wilson and believes the NFL is showing signs of following the NBA's trend of players pursuing Championship-winning moves.
Wilson broke character in some ways during a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show as he voiced his frustration over his lack of protection up front while expressing his desire to be more involved in the Seahawks' personnel decisions.
His comments naturally sparked talk of a blockbuster departure, with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo since reporting that the Seahawks have received calls regarding Wilson at an increasing rate.
On the latest Inside The Huddle podcast - which you can listen to in the player above - former NFL offensive lineman Baldinger explored the situation surrounding the Super Bowl XLVIII champion and eight-time Pro Bowler, who has been sacked more times (394) than any other quarterback since he entered the league in 2012.
"If I was an offensive lineman I wouldn't be too happy with what Russell Wilson just said," said Baldinger. "There's no reason to publicly say that, there's no benefit to it. You've got to go back in a huddle with these guys and now they kind of know how you feel.
"I happen to think some of the sacks are a result of Russell Wilson not making good decisions and just trying to run around back there which isn't a good way to play offense.
"We know what Pete Carroll wants to do, he's a defensive coordinator, he wants to run the ball, he wants to lean on the run and I'm sure Russell wants to throw it. There seems to be a disconnect there.
"I thought two years ago when they ponied up a lot of money to make him the highest-paid quarterback in the league they might have reached the ceiling and said 'you know what, we're not going to pay him and we'll see what we can get and we'll go back in and see if we can find the next Russell Wilson', because when you're giving 30 per cent of your salary cap to one player, you can't really build the proper team around him."
Wilson signed a four-year, $140m contract extension including a no-trade clause in April 2019 that is set to see him remain in Seattle through the 2023 campaign.
He again, however, finds himself coming off a disappointing end to the season as the Seahawks were beaten 30-20 by the Los Angeles Rams on Wild Card weekend, during which he was sacked five times.
"To me this is shocking," said Jeff Reinebold. "When you heard Russell Wilson speak before it's almost as if you could shut your eyes and it's Pete Carroll talking. The same words, the same message, but now it's a whole other deal.
"This has been coming in professional sports. And it began with LeBron James and when he left Cleveland and put a super-team together in Miami and all those guys started figuring out.
"What did Matthew Stafford say? He said 'I want to shoot my shot', he's 32, he knows it will never happen in Detroit, he's been a loyal employee to Detroit but you don't want to be home in February watching somebody else hoist that Lombardi every year."
The size of Wilson's contract and the implications of a failure to secure the right deal makes for a complicated trade, however history suggests nothing is impossible in the NFL.
Four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana was famously traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in April 1993 as the San Francisco 49ers opted to move forward with Steve Young, while fellow Hall of Famer Warren Moon was shipped to the Minnesota Vikings by the then-Houston Oilers back in 1994.
"It's going to be tricky, said Baldinger of a potential trade. "You don't want to put him on the trading block and not get what you want and then say 'we're happy to have you back'. It's got to be one or the other.
"If the player wants out, I think the player can kind of get out right now, especially if you're making as much money as some of these quarterbacks are. Russell Wilson is a smart guy. They know they're only going to be measured and evaluated by Super Bowl wins.
"Brady has run away with this thing, but who can get two, who can get to three? That's really what this is about. It's about what Jeff said about LeBron, 'let's go where we can win Championships'. If Joe Montana can get traded, Russell Wilson can get traded."
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers parted ways with the NFL's 2019 passing-leader Jameis Winston and turned to a 43-year-old perennial champion in Tom Brady in their bid to launch an assault on the Lombardi Trophy last year. It paid off.
Ahead of what is expected to be a busy offseason of quarterback moves, Baldinger believes the success of Brady could tempt others into following suit.
"I think guys like Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, maybe Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan are looking to say 'if you put me on a team as talented as Tampa Bay with a young defense, an aggressive head coach, a good offensive line I can do the same thing'," said Baldinger.
"I think general managers think the same thing right now. It's becoming I believe more like the NBA, 'let me go into a ready-made system'.
"I think what Tom did is send a strong signal to teams, quarterbacks and general managers around the league."
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