Broncos expert revisits Seahawks' Russell Wilson trade (in worst way imaginable)

In the 2022 offseason, the Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Along with Wilson, Seattle sent a 2022 fourth-round draft pick to Denver in return for three players and five draft choices.

Three years later, no one would make a real argument that the Broncos won the trade, yet one Denver expert is looking through orange-colored glasses and trying to do so.

Lou Scataglia of Predominantly Orange recently produced an article that claims Denver might have gotten the better of the Seahawks based on how things stand now. The part he is definitely wrong about, but still tries to make sense of, is that Denver is better now than when they acquired Wilson, but that is not directly because of Wilson.

Broncos expert makes worst case imaginable for Denver beating the Seahawks in Russell Wilson trade

We can also assume Scataglia is not taking into account that the player Denver chose with the fourth-round selection they gained from Seattle, Eyioma Uwazurike, in his argument. Uwazurike has appeared in only 12 games in three years.

The truth is that Denver is in a better spot than they were in the 2022 offseason despite Russell Wilson.

What should also be pointed out is that among the players the Seahawks ended up with from the draft picks they acquired from the Broncos are cornerback Devon Witherspoon (a two-time Pro Bowler), left tackle Charles Cross (a top-10 tackle in the league in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus), edge rusher Boye Mafe (he has a combined 15 sacks over the last two seasons), and promising edge rusher Derick Hall.

Scataglia attempts to make some odd points. For one, he writes, "The Seahawks really have nothing of note in their QB room, as they signed Sam Darnold and drafted one of the shakier QB prospects in 2025 in Jalen Milroe. Pete Carroll is also no longer their head coach, and the roster itself is just... average."

Besides Seattle winning 10 games last year and having the same record as the NFC West-winning Los Angeles Rams, it's strange for Scataglia to point out the quarterbacks the Seahawks have now when the Broncos don't have any of the quarterbacks that they had after the Wilson trade, either.

In fact, Wilson's failure is why he is no longer with the Broncos. As Scataglia also points out that Carroll is no longer with the Seahawks, the writer fails to mention that Wilson's first head coach with the Broncos, Nathaniel Hackett, didn't even last his first full season, mostly due to Wilson's inefficiency.

Carroll wasn't let go because of the absence of Russell Wilson, as even in Scataglia's article, he points out Geno Smith was good in his first season as QB1 with the Seahawks under Carroll. Smith also wasn't bad in his next two seasons as the starter, though Scataglia implies otherwise.

Did the Broncos make a lot of moves that have seen them improve since they traded for Wilson in 2022? Yes, but they had to because of the failure of the Wilson trade itself.

It's simply silly to argue that the Broncos might have won the trade because the trade failed. Wilson is gone, Denver fired the first head coach they had working with the quarterback, and the draft choice they received from Seattle hasn't worked out.

If the Broncos are better off now, it is in spite of the Wilson trade, not because of it. Credit should go to the Broncos for the moves they have made since the Russell Wilson trade, but the trade was an abject failure, and there is no positive to be derived directly from the move.