Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Seahawks have a fourth options regarding QB Russell Wilson beyond using one of the two franchise designations and signing him to a long-term contract.
According to Florio, the fourth option for Seattle would be to trade Wilson, even though it’s highly unlikely they would do so before this year’s trade deadline.
“If ongoing discussions (discussions that could be continuing as soon as this week) fail to result in a long-term deal, the Seahawks could opt for a trade of Wilson over mere placement of the non-exclusive tender and acceptance of a pair of first-round picks from whichever team convinces Wilson to sign,” Florio writes.
In this scenario, Florio suggests the Seahawks would apply the exclusive franchise tag to Wilson, as it would prevent anyone from attempting to see him away from them. From there, they would field offers for their starting quarterback.
Florio believes Seattle could target more than two first-round picks in return for Wilson or set their sights on the No. 1 overall pick in the event a franchise quarterback is worthy of the first pick in the draft.
It’s worth mentioning that the two parties could always return to the negotiating table in the near future, despite the fact that Wilson is reportedly looking to become the highest paid player in the NFL.
Wilson, 26, still has one year remaining on his four-year, $2.198 million rookie contract, which includes a base salary of $798,651 for the 2015 season.
In 2014, Wilson threw for 3,475 yards while completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 849 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns over the course of 16 games.
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