Two years ago, the Denver Broncos agreed to trade three players and five draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for quarterback Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
As if the trade wasn’t bad enough, what happened next for the Broncos was even worse. First, Denver used that fourth-round pick from Seattle to select Iowa State defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike, who is now suspended indefinitely by the NFL for breaking the league’s gambling policy.
Then the Broncos gave Wilson a five-year, $245 million contract extension before he even played a down in Denver. Wilson is now set to be released next week and the $85 million he leaves behind marks the largest “dead money” salary cap hit in NFL history.
Trading for Wilson was a bad move. Drafting Uwazurike with the one pick they acquired certainly doesn’t look like a good move at the moment. Giving the QB a massive contract was the worst part of the whole ordeal.
Wilson will be gone soon and Uwazurike is suspended. The Seahawks, meanwhile, acquired the following eight players from the Wilson trade:
Seahawks got: Quarterback Drew Lock
Seahawks got: Tight end Noah Fant
Seahawks got: Defensive lineman Shelby Harris
Seahawks got: Offensive tackle Charles Cross (2022 first-round pick)
Seahawks got: Outside linebacker Boye Mafe (2022 second-round pick)
Seahawks got: Outside linebacker Tyreke Smith (2022 fifth-round pick)
Seahawks got: Cornerback Devon Witherspoon (2023 first-round pick)
Seahawks got: Edge rusher Derick Hall (2023 second-round pick)
Broncos got: QB Russell Wilson
Broncos got: Defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike
It’s safe to say the Seahawks won that trade.
