Russell Wilson is unlikely to move on from the Seattle Seahawks, if a few weeks of reports and leaks from the quarter’s own camp can be believed. And now, one of Wilson’s four preferred landing spots, the Chicago Bears, has reportedly made an exchange for the superstar signalman their top priority in the 2021 season. Does this mean that an agreement is likely? Of course not. But it does mean that there is a growing belief that Wilson may indeed be from Seattle. And anyone who has followed the Bears QB carousel over the past few years knows that Chicago would probably be more likely than anyone to pay a premium for the former Super Bowl MVP.
However, what could the Bears offer the Seahawks? The truth is that it is not exactly loaded with elite assets. If general manager Ryan Pace really keeps Seattle going, he’s likely to have to pack several first-round draft picks with one, if not two, of his best-selling chips. The most logical chips at his disposal? Here’s a look:
Contract on: Two years, $ 17.3 million ($ 5 million guaranteed)
Bears’ savings in 2021, if traded: $ 1.33 million
Rest assured that Foles is a throw instead of a central piece. At age 32, with no more than 11 single seasons in his career and three different employers in the past three years, the former Eagles standouts would only cater to Seattle’s need for a new QB, even in the short term. . But his inclusion would not be entirely insignificant, as he can at least provide serviceable start-up experience and be cut after 2021 without much punishment. In the first run-up to Seattle, he will be better off than in 2020 in Chicago. .
Contract on: One year, $ 12 million ($ 0 guaranteed)
Bears’ savings in 2021, if traded: $ 10.5 million
A few years ago, his name would have had much more weight in trade talks. Now, at 31 and two seasons removed from All-Pro honors, he’s more like a one- or two-year lease to complement the interior. To be honest, the Bears may benefit more from saying goodbye, as his departure will clear up a lot of hood space. But the Seahawks are always strengthening their defensive front, and Hicks will still mean an upgrade in the defensive attack. Like Foles, he will have to be paired with a handful of high picks.
Contract on: Four years, $ 102.5 million ($ 16.7 million guaranteed)
Bears’ savings in 2021, if traded: $ 5.2 million
Bears fans might mock, but if roads with Mack meant Russell Wilson was brought to Windy City, do you really think Pace (and most of Chicago) would not pull the trigger? Fresh 30 could have the wild edge grid in the tank for another half-decade of Pro Bowl production, but that’s also why it’s going to bring so much value to a trade. Seattle would certainly embrace a talent of its caliber for a transitional defense, while Chicago would save more than $ 75 million from 2022-2024 by unloading its mega-contract.
Contract on: Four years, $ 63.9 million ($ 11.5 million guaranteed)
Bears’ savings in 2021, if traded: $ 2.3 million
Quinn justified a hot free market in 2020, but it’s still a small wonder that he got a $ 70 million deal from $ Bears at 29 at 29 years old. At this stage of his career he would be a staggering man, he would be nowhere near as attractive as Mack, but at least he would be the Seahawks’ best pressure man in years. It helps that he has no guaranteed money beyond 2021, making him a low risk and high upside gamble for the short term, if not a potential future brand for Seattle.
Contract on: One year, $ 20 million ($ 0 guaranteed)
Bears’ savings in 2021, if traded: $ 11 million
Like Hicks, Fuller might have claimed a legitimate trading market a few years back, when the former first-player earned the Pro Bowl buttons and even put up a seven-interception season. Chicago will still be able to keep him better, but with a big cap of 2021 and a free agency looming in 2022, he was spent. For the Seahawks, he would be an immediate solution in the corner, where Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar could both be on their way elsewhere. At 29, he is still young enough to get an extension as well.
Contract on: Three years, $ 5.3 million ($ 900,000 guaranteed)
Bears’ savings in 2021, if traded: (- $ 228,000)
Why would the Bears promise their second player just one season in his career? Because they want Russ. Just 21 and just a rookie year in which he was more than a pass, Johnson defended a game, and Johnson has the advantage of a long-term no. 1 to be on the outside. That’s why he has more value than anyone except Mack here. He would be a cheap, young addition in a state of emergency, and with Fuller and Eddie Jackson in the city, the Bears would not destroy their secondary downfall by sending him away.