Dallas Cowboys: Quarterback swap for Russell Wilson possible
Russell Wilson wants to play for the Dallas Cowboys; is now the time to make a move?
Superstar quarterback Russell Wilson does not want to leave the Seattle Seahawks but is open to playing for only four teams if the organization trades him. Among them is, you guessed it, the Dallas Cowboys.
Like Seattle, Dallas is in a tough spot with their franchise quarterback. Dak Prescott has not agreed to a long-term extension. That may force the team to franchise-tag him for the second time. That would make him the second quarterback to be tagged twice.
There are a lot of factors and changes to consider with a trade this big. So, let’s dive into what both teams could get.
To Dallas:
The Dallas Cowboys get a superstar quarterback who was a Pro Bowler in seven of his nine seasons. Add in a Super Bowl ring in his second season in the NFL and a 9-7 playoff record.
It doesn’t get much better than Russell Wilson. He is the model of a perfect quarterback. He can run and showed this by running for 400+ yards in six seasons. Throwing the ball remains his specialty with four 4,000+ passing yard seasons and five 30+ passing touchdown seasons.
Of course, you can look at Lamar Jackson and say he is the true hybrid quarterback, but Wilson has had more success overall. Wilson is a pass-first quarterback that can run when he needs to.
The Seattle quarterback has one of the best arms in the NFL and is known for his “moon ball” throws. Those are deep passes that have a high arch. That makes it difficult for the defender to make a play on the ball. That also makes it easier for the receiver to catch it.
Wilson is an upgrade compared to most quarterbacks. For the Dallas Cowboys, it would be an upgrade as well. While they have a great quarterback in Dak Prescott, Wilson has proven he can carry a team without much help.
With no word on a long-term contract for Dak, this is an opportunity for owner Jerry Jones to grab a quarterback. Questions surrounding his health could also come into play after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Wilson’s current contract runs through the 2023 season. For the 2021 season, he carries a cap hit of $32 million but will be $19 million against Dallas due to the dead cap against Seattle. That’s $18.7 million less than Dak’s cap hit would be under his second franchise tag.
Not only would the Cowboys save money, but they would grab a potential upgrade as well. That is the best-case scenario if the team can’t sign Dak to a long-term deal.