NFL Trade Rumors: Insider reveals Russell Wilson wanted Saints move before Broncos deal

What if Russell Wilson ended up with the New Orleans Saints? In a completely different universe, that's what would have happened.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Wilson's desire was always to play with Sean Payton as his head coach. That includes when the former Saints coach still held the job in New Orleans, at a time when the quarterback was sick of playing under Pete Carroll's tutelage in Seattle.

"Russell Wilson has always wanted to play for Sean Payton"

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"That is always true. When he thought about being traded, going to New Orleans with Sean Payton was always something that he wanted. That is all real, and I've heard of Russell's love for Sean for a while. Now, it will either work or won't, but midway through his career, this is the guy that I know that he can make me a great player."

Rapoport and Pat McAfee later started to discuss whether the quarterback still had his own office in the building, something that the head coach does not seem to be a fan of. McAfee cited 'anonymous sources' and said that he heard about the former Saints head coach taking it away from Wilson.

Still, it was interesting to see how Wilson always wanted to move from Seattle. Perhaps the entire 2020 season and the birth of the 'Let Russ Cook' movement changed that for a while, but clearly he was upset with Carroll's offense, which certainly did not use his strengths to the very best.

In a league where passing the ball effectively wins Super Bowls, Russell was upset with his team's offensive scheme and wanted to join forces with the head coach that resuscitated Drew Brees' career.

Given how much the Broncos invested to build this partnership, they definitely need coach and quarterback to make it work.``