Aaron Rodgers had a protracted and very public battle with the Green Bay Packers’ brass over the past calendar year.
Russell Wilson kept his unhappiness with the Seattle Seahawks mostly behind-the-scenes, but the sides also bickered for a long time.
On Tuesday, resolutions to both quarterback matters came in quick succession, as Rodgers agreed to stay with Green Bay while Wilson was dealt to the Denver Broncos.
The blockbuster dominoes sent social media ablaze, but even before the dust completely settled, it was abundantly clear which team made the right decision: the Packers will be Super Bowl contenders for the foreseeable future; the Seahawks are now entering a rebuild with a 70-year-old head coach at the helm.
Seahawks chose Pete Carroll over Russell Wilson. Yikes.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) March 8, 2022
At one point in time, Green Bay thought Rodgers’ marvelous career was winding down, so they drafted Jordan Love as his eventual replacement. In the two years since, Rodgers has won back-to-back MVP awards, showing that he remains one of the best quarterbacks on the planet at age-38.
Rodgers has undoubtedly been a giant pain to some of Green Bay’s management along the way, as he has been very outspoken about turmoil within the organization. However, in a league full of outsized egos, the Packers decided to grin and bear it, allowing Rodgers to say his peace without shipping him off to another team.
Eventually, the wrinkles were ironed out, and now, not only is Rodgers reportedly set to sign a four-year contract extension worth $50 million per year, but the two sides seem to have grown closer.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, chose hubris over humility. Wilson had legitimate gripes about the run-heavy offense and the lack of investment in the offensive line, but coach Pete Carroll always seemed to push back with sly comments.
The joke will eventually be on him, as dealing a 33-year-old, Pro-Bowl-level quarterback for an underwhelming return was a terrible decision.
Yeah, unless Wilson complete drops off…this is a huge L for Seattle. https://t.co/z8kzCoHDKu
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 8, 2022
The Seahawks had an unbelievable run over the past decade, but that was based on an insane period of drafting from 2010 to 2012, which added all of these pieces to the fold:
- Russell Wilson
- RIchard Sherman
- Earl Thomas
- Kam Chancellor
- Russell Okung
- Bobby Wagner
- Golden Tate
- Bruce Irvin
- K.J. Wright
- Byron Maxwell
That type of haul was probably the best in NFL history over a three-year stretch and will never be duplicated. GM John Schneider’s drafts since then have been a mixed bag, which highlights the randomness of it all.
Seattle dealt a pair of first-round picks for safety Jamal Adams two years ago, but he was far from the piece that sprung them into contention. Now, they traded one of the most valuable assets in the NFL, and got back two first, two seconds and some mediocre players.
Seahawks traded two first-rounders for Jamal Adams and couldn't get three for Russell Wilson.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) March 8, 2022
If the Seahawks absolutely had to trade Wilson, the return would have been understandable. But new owner Jody Allen seemingly chose Schneider and Carroll over Wilson, which was the completely wrong move.
Even in a billion-dollar enterprise, personal relationships can take precedence, and it’s possible that Allen simply sided with management because she heard their version of events more often.
From a value standpoint, it’s inane. A star quarterback is easily the most valuable figure to an organization, as smart general managers and head coaches are available in much greater supply.
The Packers realized the importance of their signal-caller, bending over backwards to appease Rodgers. The Seahawks did not, and will pay for this decision for years to come.
An interesting post-script to all of this: In the aftermath of the Rodgers and Wilson news, Kyler Murray’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, tweeted out: “You either have a franchise QB, or you don’t. And if you don’t, none of the other pieces matter much in the end…”
Again, you either have a franchise QB, or you don’t.
And if you don’t, none of the other pieces matter much in the end… https://t.co/GNi3XwTxzA— Erik Burkhardt (@ErikBurkhardt) March 8, 2022
Those are wise words, no doubt reminding the Arizona Cardinals that Murray has been the driving force of improvement for a team that was awful before his arrival.
Rodgers, Wilson and Murray have taken turns dominating much of the NFL offseason conversation, and now only one of their situations is unresolved.
It’s unknown if or when Murray will get a contract extension, but the more time goes by, the more it must be asked: will the Cardinals end up following the path of the Packers, or the Seahawks?
