National Football League

Russell Wilson's options shrink as Seattle Seahawks reject Chicago Bears' offer

Published Mar. 17, 2021 4:36 p.m. ET

"Mr. Unlimited" appears to be short on options.

Roughly three weeks ago, Russell Wilson's agent put forth a list of four NFL teams that his client would be open to waiving his no-trade clause with the Seattle Seahawks in order to join.

The four teams on Wilson's list were the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Life moves quickly in the NFL, though.

Since that list came out, the Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a long-term deal with Dak Prescott, and the Saints have reupped with Jameis Winston following the retirement of Drew Brees.

Not to mention, quarterback/gadget-guy Taysom Hill is still in the mix in The Big Easy.

Then the Bears ostensibly took themselves out of the Wilson sweepstakes by virtue of Andy Dalton's signing on Tuesday.

It wasn't for lack of trying for Wilson on Chicago's end, according to multiple reports.

Just how aggressive were the Bears in their attempt to pry the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback from Seattle?

Dan Patrick of "The Dan Patrick Show" laid out Chicago's overture, which included three first-round picks, a third-round pick and a pair of unnamed Bears starters.

The Seahawks didn't budge. As a result, the rebuffed Bears moved forward with Dalton, signing the former Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback to a one-year, $10 million deal that could bump up to $12 million, per NFL Network's Ian Rapaport.

It would seem that the Bears, Saints and Cowboys, to varying degrees, have their quarterback situations figured out ⁠— at least for the upcoming season.

That leaves the Raiders, a team that, for the most part, hasn't been at the forefront of the Wilson rumors.

The continued dwindling of options plays well for Seattle, Nick Wright said on "First Things First."

"Unless Russ is going to come up with a new list ... the leverage has moved to Seattle ... with Seattle doing nothing! ... Seattle's just sitting on their hands like, 'We might not have to do anything. Your old list is getting shorter by the day.' ... Maybe it was a bad list to start with."

To Brandon Marshall, the Seahawks' rejection of Chicago's offer seems like recognition of a reality check for head coach Pete Carroll & Co.

"You have the winningest quarterback through nine years in NFL history. Think about that. That's what this comes down to. ... Now, they've got to answer questions, they've got to answer calls, and they've got to deal with the reality. And now they're like, 'Oh, do we really want to trade him?'"

If the Seahawks are intent on keeping Wilson, they might want to extend their Super Bowl-winning quarterback some kind of olive branch.

For all of the exemplary statistics in his nine-year career, one glaring number remains ominous: 394.

That's the number of times Wilson has been sacked since he started as a rookie in Seattle in 2012. It's more than that of any other quarterback since the AFL/NFL merger.

With free agency in full frenzy, the Seahawks have yet to make a move toward remedying that situation.

The consensus top available offensive linemen when free agency began, Trent Williams and Joe Thuney, signed with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.

That's reason enough for Wilson to remain unhappy, Emmanuel Acho said on "Speak For Yourself."

"If I'm Russell Wilson, my initial thought would be helplessness. Because while we're out here staying the same or getting worse, I'm watching other teams that were better than me stay the same or other teams that were better than me get better."

There could still be an escape hatch for Wilson: the NFL Draft.

Teams are doing their due diligence and research on the available quarterbacks in the upcoming draft, and according to Schefter, there's always a chance that Seattle changes its tune.

"I just know how this league operates. ... They are inclined today not to move on from him. But I want to see the draft come and go before I'm ready to say that Russell Wilson will be a Seahawk this year."

As mentioned, life moves quickly in the NFL.

The plot is thickening in the Wilson saga, but it doesn't look like the story is even close to over.