Could San Francisco 49ers Make A Play For Russell Wilson?

After a rough 2014 season in which he didn’t look particularly good, there are some within the San Francisco 49ers organization who don’t believe that Colin Kaepernick is the long term solution at quarterback. That’s not to say that he’s not without fans and supporters of course, but that support is not unanimous. Not by far.

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Some believe he runs too much, that he’s not patient enough in the pocket, and that he’s not able to really read a defense. Some believe that’s why the 49ers fell from being within mere inches of a Super Bowl berth in 2013, to an 8-8 record and missing the playoffs entirely last season.

Though San Francisco had a myriad of problems in 2014, the spotlight seemed to shine the brightest on Kaepernick’s shortcomings.

To his credit, Kaepernick has tried to address and correct his flaws as a quarterback by working with former NFL QB Kurt Warner this offseason. Warner has been mentoring Kaepernick, working on his mechanics, his ability to make his reads, as well as his ability to read defenses. Warner spent nearly ten weeks with Kaepernick over the offseason attempting to mold and shape him into more of a prototypical NFL quarterback.

But will it be enough?

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At this point, it’s hard to say. By all accounts, Kaepernick has looked pretty good in the team’s OTA’s. But then, Johnny Manziel did last season as well. It’s easier to look sharp and crisp when you’re in shorts and not taking live shots. Even Warner, Kaepernick’s tutor isn’t sure how well his lessons will take when things get real.

"“Is ten weeks enough time for you to change what you’ve been doing your entire career? And what does that look like when bullets are flying and people are attacking you? Have we gone far enough where that becomes the norm for Colin? That’s the big question none of us can answer.. You talk about a guy who has been playing the position one way for twenty-something years, and we’re [trying] to change him in three months?”"

Given that trade rumors surrounding Kaepernick surfaced a few months back – much to the consternation of 49ers fans everywhere – and Jed York and Trent Baalke seem intent on doing things in San Francisco their way, it is plausible that Kaepernick may be on a very short leash and that if he falters in 2015, he may well be on his way out the door.

Enter Russell Wilson.

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Wilson is in the final year of his rookie deal with the Seattle Seahawks, and after one Super Bowl win and a second that was stolen from him by one of the stupidest play calls in NFL history, it’s no secret that he is looking to get paid. Though many expect that Wilson will have a new deal in place with the Seahawks soon, it’s far from a guarantee at this point.

Though Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, has expressed his optimism about a deal getting done, he’s also not in any hurry to actually get said deal done.

During an interview on the “Brock and Salk” show on 710 ESPN in Seattle, Rodgers said:

"“Russell Wilson’s under contract with the Seahawks and he absolutely – if he has to – would certainly be fine playing his fourth year under a four-year contract that he signed coming out, and then moving on from there. I don’t feel any particular crunch on time and any real particular deadlines.”"

Of course, this is gamesmanship and Wilson currently holds all the cards. He can afford to wait as long as he needs to wait to get the best deal for himself possible. Wilson is the hot commodity and it is up to Seattle to put together a deal to his liking if they want to keep him.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

And the fact that Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins – owner of a 23-25 career record, zero playoff appearances, zero Super Bowl appearances, and of course, zero titles – just signed a deal that will pay him very close to $100 million dollars, complicates things for Seattle in a big way.

Wilson has a career record of 36-12 in just three seasons of play, owns one Super Bowl ring, and if not for Pete Carroll’s more than terrible play calling, would have a second one.

If Tannehill is worth nearly $100 million, what is Wilson worth? And given the way negotiations are playing out in Seattle, he’s content to sit back to wait and see.

Seattle has a number of players, key contributors to the team’s success, who have contracts expiring following the season. At this point, they’ve got some room beneath the projected salary cap, but that room is not infinite. With players like Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin, Jermaine Kearse, Russell Okung, and J.R. Sweezy having contracts that are due up following the season, Seattle is going to have to make some tough choices.

As ridiculous as it may sound, there is a chance that they could in fact, let Russell Wilson walk. Seattle’s success is not built solely around a quarterback. A dominant defense combined with a lethal running game is what has made Seattle a successful franchise. While having a solid QB under center is a good thing to have, in Seattle’s system, it’s not necessarily critical. They could, in theory, plug in another quarterback – say, Colin Kaepernick? – and still have success.

If that is their thinking and Russell Wilson does in fact, become available this offseason, expect the 49ers to pounce. Okay, expect a lot of teams to pounce, but the 49ers will likely make a strong push. Perhaps even regardless of what Kaepernick does or does not do this season. Though, if he had another down year, it would be an easier sell to the San Francisco fan base.

Because for Baalke and York, it’s not just about winning. If it were, Jim Harbaugh would still be coaching and we’re not having this conversation right now. No, for Baalke and York, it’s as much about winning as it is about how they look doing it.

Russell Wilson is a family friendly, corporate sponsor’s dream. He’s buttoned down and has a polished image that Baalke and York can sell to their advertisers. Kaepernick is a lot rougher around the edges, and has a tendency to say stupid, insensitive, and offensive things on Twitter and Instagram. He’s not the smooth, suave, image conscious guy that Wilson is – the kind of guy Baalke and York desire.

Of course, Seattle can put a pin in the whole thing by slapping Wilson with the franchise tag, but given all of the other players they need to get signed in the coming offseason, a projected cap hit of nearly $23 million dollars for Wilson may be an untenable situation for the Seahawks.

With a team friendly contract that allows the 49ers to get rid of Kaepernick after the season with minimal financial ramifications, it’s very conceivable that the ever image conscious Baalke and York, if he struggles this season and they’re not sold on him being a long term solution, could opt to drop him in favor of pursuing Wilson.

With so much uncertainty floating around San Francisco these days, it’s not outside the realm of possibility. Which makes it well worth keeping one eye on Wilson’s contract negotiations, and the other on Kaepernick’s play this season. It will be interesting to see how it all plays, to say the least.

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