Sir Purrcival wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2023 3:33 pm
This is probably going to be quoted as one of the most lopsided bad trades ever in the NFL. Apparently, there is some kind of 37 million lump sum payout in the event of that.
Interesting and unique perspective, Sir Purrcival. What makes it unique and different is that whenever there's a discussion about lopsided trades in the sports world, it's almost always an apples to apples comparison, i.e. player vs. player comparison in which the impact the traded players make in their new teams are evaluated and compared. And if one player had a much bigger positive impact with his new team compared to the other, then it's obvious which team won the trade.
But in this particular case, it's not so much a player vs. player comparison.
Was the Seahawks starting QB Geno Smith obtained from the Russell Wilson trade? No.
Did Drew Lock become a huge superstar for the Seahawks after the trade? No.
So in this particular case, the trade was compared entirely from a financial perspective.
The Denver Broncos lost a lot of money by signing Russell Wilson to a lucrative contract after the trade and now have to give him at least a $37 million dollar payout now that they want to release him.
The Seattle Seahawks saved millions of dollars by trading him to Denver Broncos which must now deal with his huge salary burden. And as the old sayng goes, a penny saved is a penny earned.
In the professional sports world, what are some other lopsided trades not because of the performance of the traded players but rather, one team lost a lot of money while the other team saved a lot of money?
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As an aside, when a good player leaves a team through unfavourable circumstances, should they still be honoured by the team after the player retires?
The Seahawks have three QB's inducted in the Ring of Honor:
#10 - Jim Zorn (1976–1984)
#17 - Dave Krieg (1980–1991)
#8 - Matt Hasselbeck (2001–2010)
But #3 - Russell Wilson was still overall a heck of a lot better than all three QB's above. So by default, the Seahawks may be obligated to retire his #3.
The Seahawks also have three defensive players inducted:
#22 - Dave Brown (1976–1986)
#79 - Jacob Green (1980–1991)
#96 - Cortez Kennedy (1990–2000)
But then by default the Seahawks would be obligated to retire all the numbers that were part of the Legion of Boom in the 2010's.
Finally, the Seahawks also have retired two RB's:
#28 - Curt Warner (1983–1989)
#37 - Shaun Alexander (2000–2007)
So by default, the Seahawks are obligated to retire #24 - Marshawn Lynch.
The Seahawks will run out of numbers for their active players very soon! I guess they will have to compromise by indicating that despite a number being on the Ring of Honor, it will still be used in circulation for active players.