Last Tuesday was momentous for the 49ers, but not for moves made by San Francisco
Even during the Seattle Seahawks’ worst season in a decade, Russell Wilson was still a pain for the 49ers to deal with.
Seattle finished the 2021 campaign 7-10, their worst record since 2011, but swept the season series against San Francisco thanks to Wilson’s typical heroics. It proved, as always, Wilson was dangerous no matter how good his supporting cast was with red and gold on the opposite sideline. Wilson went a blistering 16-4 as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback against his Bay Area rival.
But he’s no longer a 49ers’ divisional foe. Wilson was traded out of Seattle and the NFC West on Tuesday, a week before the official start of the 2022 league year, to the Denver Broncos for three players (tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and quarterback Drew Lock) and four draft picks (two firsts and two seconds). It will go down as one of the biggest trades in NFL history.
And surely it drew a giant sigh of relief from 49ers head quarters in Santa Clara.
“So sad to see you leave the NFCwest,” All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams wrote in an Instagram comment while tagging Wilson. “You will not be missed.”
The Seahawks later made clear this wasn’t a reloading situation, but a complete tear-down strategy. ESPN reported Tuesday night Seattle released future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner, who joined the team in the same 2012 draft class as Wilson. They were Seattle’s only remaining players from their Super Bowl-winning team; that would be the team that beat the 49ers in the NFC title game.
That means two of the Seahawks’ best players in their history exited on the same day, which makes this offseason similar to what the 49ers went through in 2015. That offseason the team “mutually” parted with coach Jim Harbaugh, running back Frank Gore left in free agency, Patrick Willis and Justin Smith retired, and Aldon Smith was arrested and released during training camp. It preceded four miserable seasons before the Super Bowl run in 2019.
The Seahawks’ decision to trade Wilson always seemed unlikely because they would have a hard time finding a replacement who could help the team win at the same level. They made the playoffs in eight of Wilson’s 10 seasons, appeared in two Super Bowls and won one. Aside from Deshaun Watson, who was not charged with sexual assault by a grand jury Friday but is still under the legal microscope, the Seahawks seem poised to downgrade under center a season after the other three teams in the NFC West made the postseason.
Which is what made the decision to trade Wilson a league-altering surprise. Quarterbacks are the most valuable commodity in the sport. Future Hall of Famers rarely become available and, as the 49ers proved, teams more often take their shot with players in the draft. That’s coach Kyle Shanahan’s chosen path with Trey Lance.
But Wilson’s Seattle exit wasn’t the only big news to drop last week.
Aaron Rodgers ended his previously endless standoff with the Packers by agreeing to a contract that will make him one of the richest players in sports. The deal is reportedly worth $200 million over four seasons with $153 million in guarantees.
That means Rodgers is signed with the Packers for as many seasons as he has playoff losses to the 49ers. But more immediately, Rodgers staying in Green Bay and Wilson heading to Denver means two of the biggest quarterback dominoes of the offseason have fallen, leaving Jimmy Garoppolo as one of the top veterans expected to be available in a trade (outside of Watson).
Garoppolo had surgery to repair his throwing shoulder Tuesday, according to NFL Network, just more than a week before the new league year begins. Garoppolo remains likely to get traded, but the surgery could change the timing of when other teams would be willing to fork over draft capital. He’s not expected to resume throwing until the summer.
Fortunately for San Francisco, the Colts, Saints, Panthers, Commanders, Buccaneers, Lions, Texans and Eagles could all be in the market for a quarterback.
The 49ers are on the hook for $7.5 million in injury guarantees if Garoppolo is on the roster by Wednesday, which could make San Francisco desperate to get him off their books because they have roster needs elsewhere. Trading him would create $25.5 million in salary cap space. Releasing him would create $18 million while the team is currently $1 million over the salary cap, according to Overthecap.com.
Last Tuesday was a notable day in Santa Clara, with one arch nemesis leaving the division and another staying put with a conference rival. But now that Wilson and Rodgers have their homes solidified, the rest of the moves are sure to come in a flurry, which should include Garoppolo getting moved over the next couple weeks.
