A Russell Wilson trade from the Seattle Seahawks does not appear as far-fetched and the Miami Dolphins would be an ideal destination were it to happen.
The Miami Dolphins have been continually connected with a blockbuster quarterback trade this offseason and, while they may be denied the chance to acquire Deshaun Watson, they loom as a perfect landing spot should Russell Wilson make a previously unthinkable departure from the Seattle Seahawks.
Previous talk of Wilson parting with the Seahawks had seemed far-fetched. However, a report in The Athletic lent further credence to the possibility of two parties going their separate ways, revealing that Wilson had broached potential trade destinations with the Seahawks.
On his list were the Dolphins and, in terms of having the ammunition to make such a trade happen, there is arguably no team better placed than Miami, which owns two first-round picks in this year’s draft.
And there are several other reasons why the Dolphins would be the best fit for Wilson.
Cap space
In terms of being ready to contend, the claim can be made that the New Orleans Saints are a better fit for Wilson. But let’s be realistic here. The Saints have stretched the salary cap to its limit are set to pay the price in 2021.
Assuming a salary cap of $185 million, the Saints are set to be $66 million over the cap, per Spotrac. They would have to perform mathematical gymnastics to even fit Wilson’s contract on the books, which would be prohibitive to them keeping in-house free agents around and acquiring further new players.
The Dolphins do not have that issue. They are forecast to be $28 million under the cap, potentially giving them the scope to put further pieces around Wilson in free agency. Miami was agonizingly close to reaching the playoffs last season, and may still have the financial flexibility to put an elite team around Wilson were they to strike a deal with Seattle.
Defense
The Seahawks’ cause in the 2020 season was not helped by an ineffective defense that couldn’t stop an injured Jared Goff in the postseason.
While it was shredded by the Buffalo Bills in Week 17, the Dolphins’ defense was regularly the reason why Miami won games, as opposed to Seattle’s being the decisive factor in why the Seahawks came up short.
Miami’s opportunistic group led the league in takeaways with 29, finishing top 10 in Expected Points Added per play and Football Outsiders’ Weighted DVOA.
With elite talents in the secondary in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, a defense that has plenty of room to grow should continue to put the offense in advantageous positions, Wilson would surely capitalize ruthlessly on those opportunities.
Head coach
There’s reason to be skeptical of Wilson going from one defensive head coach to another and, over the course of last season, the Seahawks threw the ball more than the Dolphins. Per Sharp Football Stats, the Seahawks threw the ball 60 percent of the time compared to 58 percent for the Dolphins.
However, from Week 10 — when Seattle faced the Arizona Cardinals following a meeting The Athletic report said “symbolized the divide” between Wilson and Carroll — the Seahawks passed the ball on 57 percent of the time while the Dolphins’ number jumped to 61 percent.
Even with rookie Tua Tagovailoa under center, head coach Brian Flores gave his offense more license to throw, with his faith in his signal-callers illustrated by the fact Ryan Fitzpatrick (6.5) finished the season with more completed air yards per attempt than Wilson (6.2), according to NextGen Stats.
It’s a negligible difference but one that suggests Flores would be willing to be even more aggressive with Wilson at his disposal and, unlike Carroll, would not retreat towards a run-heavy system were the passing game to endure struggles.
The Dolphins are a team on the rise with a defense that can take the ball away, cap space to make moves to further build the team and an astute head coach who would likely empower Wilson to be aggressive.
They might not be the first team that comes to mind as a potential Wilson destination, but they are perhaps his best hope of having long-term success outside of Seattle.