A lot of
Chicago Bears fans are tired of hearing about Russell Wilson at this point. It's been almost a month. The team made a strong push to get him, offering multiple high picks and two players. The Seattle Seahawks considered it but ultimately declined. That seemed to be the end of. The Bears quickly signed
Andy Dalton in free agency and have moved forward.
Yet multiple insiders have continued to make it clear things didn't just suddenly become all better between Wilson and Seattle. Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington both said a trade is still possible. Darlington went so far as to say with confidence he thinks Wilson plays elsewhere this season. Then Dianna Russini dropped a series of interesting nuggets based on what she's heard.
Pat McAfee went through them on the recent episode of his show.
The first is that Wilson's camp is
not happy with the Seahawks' approach to free agency. That is to say their refusal to invest more in the offensive line. They did trade for starting guard Gabe Jackson but otherwise four of the other five starters from the blocking unit last season will be returning. Then there is the second bit of news. One that may put any fleeting hopes of him coming to Chicago to rest.
Apparently, Wilson has reached a point where he wants out enough to expand his original list of teams he'd be willing to get traded to. Originally, it was exclusive to the Cowboys, Raiders, Saints, and Bears. The first three bowed out of the sweepstakes for various reasons, leaving Chicago with the best chance to get him. If Seattle is able to take offers from other teams around the league, the odds are favorable they'll get one they like more than what the Bears can offer.
https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1375119197525643268
Russell Wilson is not impossible but now more unlikely
The problem for the Bears hasn't changed. Seattle wants an avenue to a quarterback they feel would be a suitable replacement for Wilson. Chicago can't give them one. They only have the 20th pick in the upcoming draft. With Wilson under center, the odds of the next two 1st rounders they could send back won't be top 10 choices either. There are plenty of quarterback-needy teams in the top 10 this year who can offer what they can't.
This is no doubt a reason why Andy Dalton was signed. GM Ryan Pace took his best shot. When it didn't work, he had to pivot to his backup plan. Dalton isn't Russell Wilson but he's a serviceable veteran quarterback who played well down last season's stretch. Surround him with some weapons and the offense should be able to function. At least better than it did last year.
They may try again for Wilson next month, but it feels less possible now than ever.
It's unfortunate. Bears fans deserve a quarterback of that caliber after so many years of torment watching others enjoy such pleasantries. Yet it always seems like the best ones are just out of their reach. Maybe a
miracle will happen and they pull it off. Based on this latest information though, it would be best if fans didn't get their hopes up anymore.
