Blockbuster NFL Draft Trade Proposal: Jets To Get Russell Wilson In Package Around No. 2 Pick

The New York Jets acquire Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in this trade proposal including the No. 2 overall selection of the 2021 NFL draft

We may be less than one week away from the NFL draft, but the offseason trade proposals haven't stopped.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell produced a mock draft on Thursday that featured a trade for every single pick in the first round. It's a tradition unlike any other, a mock that Barnwell posts each year.

For instance, in Barnwell's mock, the Jaguars shipped the No. 1 overall pick to Los Angeles in a trade for Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert, safety Derwin James and the 13th overall pick.

Some of these proposed trades are pretty wacky, and almost all of them are unrealistic, but considering how involved the Jets are in the first round with their surplus of draft capital, we had to share. 

First, here's what the Jets get in return from the Seattle Seahawks for the second pick in Barnwell's impossible, yet entertaining, mock:

Jets get: QB Russell Wilson

Seattle Seahawks get: No. 2 pick, No. 23 pick (from SEA), No. 107 pick, 2022 first-round pick (better of NYJ and SEA selections)

This isn't the first proposed trade involving the Jets and Russell Wilson that we've seen since the end of last season. In fact, there's been a few. 

Here's Barnwell's explanation on the logic behind this deal, a trade involving a top quarterback and three first-round picks:

The Wilson trade talk has died down in recent weeks, but to make a move out of the second pick work for the Jets, they need to find a solution at quarterback. It's tempting to think about the Browns and Ravens looking at disastrous quarterback extensions in recent years before at least considering moving on from Mayfield or Jackson, but I don't think those moves are plausible. A Wilson trade remains unlikely, but if the Seahawks really decided that the future Hall of Famer had become too much of a problem in Seattle, this is the sort of return they would need to cut ties.

The No. 2 overall pick would get the Seahawks their pick of the non-Lawrence quarterbacks. They would get back two additional first-rounders, including the first they sent to the Jets for Jamal Adams. General manager John Schneider & Co. would also get the best-positioned first-rounder between the two selections the Jets have in 2022, which would give Seattle some leeway if it struggled without Wilson in 2021.

Why would the Jets do this? Well, about 40 years of subpar quarterback play comes to mind. The only quarterbacks in Jets history to post more than two seasons with an AY/A+ of 100 or more are Joe Namath and Ken O'Brien. Wilson has done that in each of his first nine seasons as a pro and hasn't missed a start. At 32, he realistically has another five or six years at a high level, if not more. Wilson probably doesn't single-handedly propel the Jets into contention, but he raises their floor at quarterback dramatically and gives them their best option since Namath.

As Barnwell mentioned, the Wilson trade talks simmered down over the last several weeks. The Jets always made sense as a possible suitor because of how many top picks they have at their disposal (and their need for a quarterback as the Sam Darnold era came to a close). New York wasn't mentioned on Wilson's list of potential clubs he'd be willing to play for, though.

Sam Darnold Details the Toughest Part of Being Traded By the Jets

From there, Barnwell has the Jets trading up to the seventh overall spot with the Lions, sending Detroit the 23rd pick, a future first-rounder and a third-round pick. 

To clarify, these trades aren't all occurring in the same hypothetical universe because the Jets already used their second first-rounder from this year's draft in the proposed Wilson trade. 

Barnwell explained that this proposed deal with the Lions would give the Jets a chance to trade up and draft a playmaker like wideout Ja'Marr Chase or tight end Kyle Pitts. Using an expendable pick from the Jamal Adams trade, general manager Joe Douglas would provide his offense with another weapon to build around on offense. 

This is far more realistic than the Wilson deal, although it's tough to say if Detroit would be willing to move back all the way to the 23rd pick with so much talent on the board at No. 7. The first-rounder in 2022 would help, though. 

Finally, with the No. 23 pick, Barnwell has the Jets trading back with the Washington Football Team, acquiring veteran guard Brandon Scherff while reeling in a second-round pick. In the trade, the Jets would also give up a guard of their own—Greg Van Roten—along with a third-rounder. 

Rather than picking a prospect on the offensive line here, this would give the Jets a four-time Pro Bowler up front, an experienced asset capable of mentoring the younger members of this unit while protecting the quarterback. 

To view the rest of Barnwell's 32-trade mock, click here to head over to ESPN.

MORE:

• Joe Douglas: Jets Laying 'Groundwork' to Trade Up in First Round
• Is This Draft Haul the Best-Case Scenario For the Jets Through the First Two Rounds?
• Sheldon Rankins Is Confident He Can Recapture Form With Jets

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