If Russell Wilson does leave Seattle, Giants aren't the right fit

LOS ANGELES

Russell Wilson has shown a knack for escaping pressure in the pocket, and he did the same in a metaphorical sense this past week when dealing with speculation about his future whereabouts.

With speculation again swirling that he might not be in Seattle long-term — in fact, there was some question in the offseason about whether he wanted out — Wilson sidestepped the controversy as efficiently as he avoids the pass rush.

Responding to a report that he’d consider waiving his no-trade clause to potentially join the Saints, Broncos or Giants in 2022, Wilson said it isn’t on his radar.

"That’s not in my head right now at all," he told reporters this week. "I didn’t say that. I’m focused on what we’re doing here. Obviously, I love Seattle. This is a place that I’ve loved every day, every moment. I love this place. I love where my mind’s at. I love where our team’s at. I think we can be better, it’s a journey. But we can go as far as we want to go."

The Seahawks might not go anywhere this season. They’re 4-8. Wilson had to miss games for the first time in his career because of an injured finger on his throwing hand, and he might want to at least consider his options moving forward. For now, though, he insists he’s not thinking along those lines.

"Hopefully I get to play here for 20 years of my career," said Wilson, 33. "Will that happen? I don’t know, but that’s my prayer. That’s my hope."

Reports surfaced in the offseason of friction between Wilson and longtime coach Pete Carroll about the direction of the offense, with Wilson hoping to earn more freedom from the constraints of the run-centric offense that Carroll prefers.

It doesn’t help that the team invested two first-round picks in Jamal Adams in a trade with the Jets, especially with Adams out for a second straight season because of a shoulder injury.

The idea of a trade to the Giants makes some sense in terms of draft-choice compensation and the Giants’ need to significantly upgrade the quarterback position. Daniel Jones, who will miss his second straight game because of a neck injury when the Giants face the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, has not developed as quickly as the team had hoped.

And with general manager Dave Gettleman almost certainly out after this season, there might be a temptation to be aggressive on the trade market, especially with the Giants potentially having two top-10 picks — theirs and the Bears’ pick they acquired in a draft-day trade in April.

The feeling here: There’s no way the Giants should make this deal. For starters, they are much more than a quarterback away from getting out of the years-long hole they’ve been stuck in. The offensive line remains poor, so why give up additional assets for a quarterback who already has struggled behind an erratic line in Seattle?

Wilson surely would want a new contract, which would put even more pressure on the Giants’ salary cap, which already is stretched far too thin and getting little return for a 4-8 season.

Not only that, but with Gettleman likely retiring and a new GM coming in, there’s no telling whether his successor would remain committed to Jones or willing to move on, either through the draft or in the unlikely event of a trade.

Remember, too, that there’s no guarantee that coach Joe Judge will be back (even though team president John Mara hopes he doesn’t feel the need to fire a third straight coach after just two seasons).

The Giants are much more than a quarterback away from being a contender. They’re just about an entire roster away.

Wilson would be much better off with the Saints or Broncos, both of whom have much better talent on both sides of the ball and are legitimately a quarterback away from getting back into playoff contention.

Gut feeling: The Seahawks stand pat with Wilson at least another year, hoping that Adams returns healthy in 2022 and that they can upgrade a running game that has been severely impacted by injury and ineffectiveness.

Mourning the loss of Demaryius Thomas

The NFL world remains in shock over the loss of former Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas, 33, who died Thursday at his home in Roswell, Georgia, from what police said was linked to a medical issue. The Broncos will honor Thomas before Sunday’s game against the Lions in Denver, and the players will wear decals of Thomas’ No. 88 that he wore while with the team.

Former teammates and family members indicated Thomas had said he suffered from seizures in recent months connected to an automobile accident.

The Broncos held a team meeting on Friday to discuss Thomas’ death.

"Seeing and feeling their reaction, their hurt, just tells me what a special player DT was," Broncos coach Vic Fangio said after the meeting. "Special player, special person, is obvious by their responses. The people that knew him and were around him, they’re sad and depressed. We’re ready to pay tribute to him on Sunday."

Thomas, a former first-round pick, developed into a Pro Bowl receiver with the Broncos and helped the team win a Super Bowl in Peyton Manning’s final season. He finished his career with the Jets in 2019 after a rare trade with the Patriots for a sixth-round pick.

A measure of just how impactful Thomas was in the locker room: In November of that season, the team’s captains requested that Thomas, one of the team’s best leaders despite being there only a few weeks, also become a captain.

RIP to a wonderful player and a better person.

Whitworth a freak of nature

Tom Brady is the ultimate ironman in today’s NFL, playing at a ridiculously high level at the ridiculously advanced age (in football terms) of 44. But Andrew Whitworth isn’t far behind.

The Rams’ left tackle is set to join Brady as the only other 40something player in today’s NFL. Whitworth, who turns 40 on Sunday, will face off against the Cardinals in Arizona in a critical Monday night matchup. He’ll become the first 40-year-old to start at left tackle in NFL history.

It’s Whitworth’s 16th season, a testament not only to his longevity but to his perseverance.

He endured two knee surgeries in 2013 while with the Bengals and wasn’t sure if his career was over.

"When I finally came out of what I call that darkness, and thinking that was it, I was like, ‘I’d love to see if there’s any chance I could play when I’m 40 years old,' " Whitworth told reporters this past week.

Here he is. And, like Brady, there are no immediate thoughts of retirement.

"I still love playing this game, and if it works out, hopefully I’ll have a chance to continue my career and continue playing," he said. "I don’t see any reason to stop unless it doesn’t work out for both sides."

Going for it on fourth down

Don’t be surprised if Chargers coach Brandon Staley is aggressive on fourth downs when he faces the Giants on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

The first-year coach routinely gambles on fourth down, a mindset that has helped the team improve to 7-5 after missing the playoffs the previous two years.

"We really wanted to have aggressive modeling going into the season and take into consideration one of the strengths of our team, and that’s our quarterback and our skill group," Staley said, referring to second-year quarterback Justin Herbert and his receivers and running backs. "Any time we feel we’re in an advantaged situation, then we’re going to use those tactics to the fullest. We’ve been proud of our process and our team has really established an identity in terms of how we want to play the game on our own terms."

The Chargers are tied for the fifth-most fourth-down attempts (21) and have converted 13 (61.9%).

The season of surprise continues

If you’ve had trouble figuring out the NFL from week to week, you’re not alone. This truly is the season of surprise.

Consider: Entering Week 14, every AFC team has at least four losses. The last time every team in either the AFC or NFC had that many losses this late in the season: the AFC in 2002.

There’s more: While Washington and San Francisco, both 6-6, currently own the two final playoff spots in the NFC, five teams are within a game. And 19 teams are .500 or better, with nine of those teams missing the playoffs last season. That includes the top seeds in both conferences: The Cardinals (10-2), who can clinch their first playoff berth since 2015, in the NFC and the Patriots (9-4), who missed the playoffs last year, in the AFC.

'I still own you!'

Aaron Rodgers made it clear that his post-touchdown rant at Soldier Field, during which he screamed, "I own you, all my [expletive] life! I still own you!" was directed not at the Bears but at Bears fans. Especially those who expressed their feelings about the Packers’ quarterback with profane hand gestures from the stands.

"I don’t know if you can question a whole lot of what I said," Rodgers quipped. "We’ve had a good record over the years against them."

A good record? Try a dominant record. Rodgers is 22-5 against the Bears, who will meet the Packers on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

Extra points

What an adorable kerfuffle between Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and WFT coach Ron Rivera, which started when McCarthy said in advance of Sunday’s game at FedEx Field: I’m excited about what’s in front of us. We’re going to win this game. I’m confident in that." To which Rivera replied, "I think that’s the big mistake . . . He’s now made it about him and what he said. It’s not about his players anymore." As we’ve seen so often, pregame trash talk means very little once the ball is kicked off, although it does make for an enjoyable run-up to the game . . . Washington started 2-6 and has won four straight to get back to .500. WFT faces divisional opponents in its final five games, the first team to do so since the 1995 Buccaneers . . . At age 24, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is the fourth-youngest player to reach 10,000 passing yards. The other three: Cam Newton, Drew Bledsoe and Dan Marino . . . Murray has 20 rushing touchdowns, joining Newton (28) and Buffalo’s Josh Allen (25) as the only quarterbacks with at least 20 touchdowns in their first three seasons in the Super Bowl era . . . Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have the most touchdowns for a quarterback and tight end in NFL history. With 90 TDs, they’ve passed Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, who had 89 with San Diego . . . The Bengals aren’t usually connected with big-time free-agent moves, but their signing of Trey Hendrickson in the offseason has worked out brilliantly. The former Saints pass rusher has 11 ½ sacks and at least one in eight straight games . . . The Browns, who come off their bye week, will face the Ravens in Cleveland in a rare home-and-home series. The last time a team played the same opponent in consecutive games was in 1991 (Seattle and the Chargers) . . . No wonder coaches stress limiting turnovers. Key stat: Teams that have won the turnover battle this season are a combined 118-29-1.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”