Last offseason, a blockbuster trade sent nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos. But before that trade took place, Wilson was very nearly traded to a surprising destination: the Philadelphia Eagles.
During an appearance on the Seattle Sports podcast, Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated revealed that Russell Wilson was “very nearly” traded to the Philadelphia Eagles before Wilson ultimately decided against the trade.
“I gotta hear more about ‘Russell Wilson was very nearly an Eagle’ etc,” host Mike Salk told Bishop. “I had heard that too. My understanding was that deal was basically done and Russ killed it.”
Bishop essentially confirmed everything Salk said, making it clear that there were trade talks and that the Eagles “really wanted” the quarterback before Wilson ultimately decided he wanted to stay with the Seattle Seahawks, instead.
“I think what I’d say is that the Eagles really wanted him,” Bishop said. “I think they liked his style of play and I think that makes sense, right? He’s similar to Jalen Hurts, especially when he was in his prime and was a little bit faster than now. And my understanding is at that point in time, Russ wanted to stay here. And then ultimately, that’s not what happened.”
Obviously, the Eagles are happy with the way things played out as Hurts led the team to a Super Bowl appearance last year and just inked a longterm contract with the team this offseason. But things were almost very different in Philadelphia.
