When the Seattle Seahawks agreed to trade QB Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, it was an admission of defeat for a whole era in the Pacific Northwest, and the latest NFL betting lines just highlight that fact.
Within ours of the decision to trade Wilson Pete Carroll and co had also cut superstar LB Bobby Wagner, reiterating that this is a team in full rebuild mode.
It was hoped 2021 might be one final run for a once great team, but the ‘Legion Of Boom’ is long gone and Wilson was a shadow of his former self.
So what did Seattle actually get?
So while Denver fans awoke Wednesday smiling at the fact their team is now a bona fide Super Bowl contender, we can forget about Seattle threatening to reach the big game again any time soon.
Seattle got what appears on the face of it a huge haul in return for Wilson:
- 2 first-round draft picks
- 2 second-round draft picks
- 1 fifth-round draft pick
- QB Drew Lock
- TE Noah Fant
- DL Shelby Harris
Closer inspection though shows there is nothing in that package to make up for the loss of the one thing that NFL teams need to content – a star under center. In reality the draft haul is pretty similar to what they gave up in that now laughable trade for Jets S Jamal Adams. Drew Lock – we know already – is not the answer, folks.
Super Bowl Odds for Broncos & Seahawks
The response from online sportsbooks was swift and brutal. Instead of being around the +250 mark to win a Super Bowl the Seahawks are now +10000 – among the lowest of the low. The gradual decline of recent years was nothing compared to this – an immediate admission that they are no longer trying to contend.
Denver meanwhile is suddenly among the leading teams in the odds to win Super Bowl LVII. The Broncos, who already had a stellar roster but no franchise QB, now has the missing piece in Wilson. And their odds tumbled accordingly – having been around +250 early Tuesday they are generally a +1200 shot – only a handful of teams are shorter.
The times they are a changing, and not in a good for the Seahawks. The road back to the top could be a long long haul.