Chris Simms brings up an interesting proposal
On his show “Unbuttoned With Chris Simms”, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms delved into an interesting question from a fan: “Zach Wilson for Russell Wilson straight-up, who says no?”
A straight-up trade between Russell Wilson and Zach Wilson…@CSimmsQB answers which team would say "no?"
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— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 30, 2021
Simms shocked many by taking the New York Jets as the team who says no.
“Honestly, I’m gonna say the Jets say no,” Simms said. “Zach Wilson to me has shown enough talent and, like, physical great ability already. Don’t look at the stats or the win-losses. Look at some of the things he’s done throughout the year and I say, ‘Wow.’ … (The Jets) are building something right now.”
Regarding the Seattle Seahawks’ Wilson, Simms said, “Russell Wilson? Hey, listen, I got a few questions about his game after this year. One, he doesn’t look like he’s moving nearly as well, in fact Zach Wilson moves better than Russell Wilson. Zach Wilson’s arm has more power than Russell Wilson’s. And Russell Wilson, you know, at times has problems throwing the ball down the middle of the field.
“I would stand pat if I’m the Jets,” Simms concluded.
Personally, I have to wholeheartedly disagree with Simms here. If the Jets passed on the opportunity to trade Zach for Russell straight-up, it would be downright foolish, and the same would be true regarding the Seahawks if they decided to trade Russell for Zach with no additional compensation.
Play: 👉 the Jet X Offseason Simulator
It comes down to this simple truth for me: Zach Wilson might be a great quarterback one day, while Russell Wilson is a great quarterback.
Sure, there are legitimate concerns about Russell’s future trajectory after a production decline this season, and his contract situation is also a question mark.
But at 33 years old with a Hall-of-Fame resume, he should still have at least three or four years of great football left in him. Most quarterbacks of Russell’s talent level do not fall off until their late thirties.
Say what you want about the season Russell and the Seahawks had, but he is still one of the best quarterbacks in football. He’s seventh in the league in yards per attempt (7.6), ninth in passer rating (99.4), and has the fourth-lowest interception rate (1.4%).
Prior to Russell’s finger injury in Week 5, he was playing some of the best football of his career. Through five weeks, Russell led the NFL in passer rating (125.3), yards per attempt (9.6), and touchdown-to-interception ratio (10-to-1). It is only since rushing back from finger surgery that Russell’s numbers have dipped, so he should have a good chance of getting back to normal next year with a whole offseason to fully recover.
The Jets can only hope and pray that Zach proves capable of posting those numbers at some point down the line.
If I were Joe Douglas and Seattle started asking the Jets to throw in premium draft picks alongside Zach in a deal for Russell, then I would tell Pete Carroll to take a hike. Considering the signs of decline from Russell this year, I don’t think he is worth mortgaging the future for. There is a chance he may now only be a “very good” quarterback rather than the MVP candidate he once was.
Meanwhile, Zach does have the potential to become an MVP-caliber type of quarterback in the future, especially considering his recent progress.
With all of that being said, a straight-up deal is not one I could decline. It would be silly to pass up on a quarterback who is sure to be at least “very good” (even if Russell’s “elite” status might be in question) in exchange for a quarterback you hope can be “very good”. That’s just my opinion on it.
This whole conversation is moot, though. There is no way that the Seahawks are trading the best player in the history of their franchise without getting an enormous haul of draft compensation to kickstart the rebuilding process that will come in the wake of his exit.
What’s your take on this hypothetical? If you were the Jets, would you trade Zach Wilson for Russell Wilson straight-up? What do you think it would actually take to acquire Russell Wilson?
You know what – don’t even answer those. This is a silly topic. Let’s just enjoy the ride with Zach Wilson and marvel at the talented kid’s rapid improvement over the past few weeks.
