Russell Wilson could’ve been an Eagle instead of a Seahawk
Sep 8, 2014, 8:25 AM | Updated: 10:47 am
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson's trademark "Go Hawks" could have potentially been "Go Eagles." Imagine, how the fortunes in the NFL might have changed. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Russell Wilson is the face of the Seahawks. He is the franchise quarterback. He is the man who led the team to its first championship, and it almost didn’t happen.
Russell’s trademark “Go Hawks” could have been “Go Eagles.”
Wilson was almost the franchise quarterback in Chip Kelly’s blur offense, instead of the steady hand in Seattle. The Eagles had a deal in place with the 49ers before the 2012 draft. They were going to grab Colin Kaepernick from the Niners, but they backed away from the deal after the realized they might be able to get Wilson.
According to former Eagles scout, Daniel Jeremiah, who is now an analyst at the NFL Network, Wilson thought he would be a perfect fit in Philly.
“I interview him at the Senior Bowl, and at the end of the interview you always ask for a player’s number so you can get in touch with him,” Jeremiah said. “He asked for my number, and then I would get text messages from him periodically.”
Jeremiah outlined the story on his “Move the Sticks” podcast last week. “Even the day of the draft, the first day of the draft, ‘If the Eagles draft me, I’ll lead them to championships,'” he said.
The Eagles planned to grab Wilson with pick 88 in the third round. “We really liked him, and I thought there was a really good chance he would end up being a Philadelphia Eagle,” Jeremiah said.
But the Hawks swooped in and grabbed Wilson at number 75.
Imagine, how the fortunes in the NFL might have changed.
