Saints Rumors: Russell Wilson might not be worth trading a king’s ransom for

The New Orleans Saints want a franchise quarterback to build around for 2022. That quarterback may not be Russell Wilson.

Wilson would immediately add a plethora of positives to the Saints’ offense: an accurate arm, an even better run game, years of tactical knowledge, and leadership.

Longevity? Not so much.

Mike Sando of The Athletic wrote about Wilson’s potential offseason destinations, listing Cleveland, Denver, and New Orleans.

Sando notes that Wilson would fit in well on these teams because of two main reasons: the strength of the offensive line and the run game. You’ll have to subscribe to The Athletic to read everything Sando had to say.

New Orleans certainly checks those boxes with a powerful offensive tackle duo in Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk and a dangerous ball-carrier in Alvin Kamara.

If there’s any truth to these rumors and Russell Wilson does want to leave the Seahawks this offseason, Sean Payton should give Pete Carroll a call.

The Saints, however, need to be very careful of exactly how much they’re willing to fork over for Wilson.

New Orleans Saints shouldn’t jeopardize their future for Russell Wilson

The 33-year-old has spent his entire NFL career devoted to Seattle, but his game has steadily been in decline. In 2021, Wilson owns his first losing record as a Seahawk, and he also missed three games due to a thumb injury.

His numbers are difficult to compare since he missed time, but Wilson has thrown just 22 touchdowns, ranked second-worst in his career, and recorded a career-worst 51.5 quarterback rating so far this year.

It’s also the first time in his decade-long career that Wilson has suffered an injury requiring him to sit out, which speaks well of the quarterback’s resilience in general. Given his age, though, it’s been a long time coming.

Do the Saints really want an aging veteran with a higher possibility of getting injured under center?

There’s no question that NOLA has to rebuild. They had to rebuild after Drew Brees, they mostly failed, and now, they have to start over in 2022.

The team could still retain Jameis Winston, who never really showed his full potential, as a much cheaper quarterback option next season. Winston’s recovering from one of the worst injuries a player could suffer, but he’s six years younger than Wilson and already has some familiarity in NOLA’s offensive scheme.

Make no mistake, the Saints would love a grizzled pro like Wilson under center — just not at the expense of the franchise’s future.