Wilson, Mahomes, Herbert and Carr: is the AFC West the hardest division in NFL history?

For a while, this NFL’s offseason’s quarterback carousel barely moved. Tom Brady retired. So did Ben Roethlisberger. And despite a much-analyzed Instagram post from Aaron Rodgers that could have doubled as a retirement statement, the back-to-back MVP is staying put in Green Bay. This came after weeks of speculation that Rodgers might be headed to the very quarterback-needy Denver Broncos. Much to the dismay of Broncos fans and players, Rodgers took the sensible route on Tuesday and stayed in the city where he’s had nothing but success. And his favorite teammate is sticking around too.

So all appeared to be pleasantly boring on the quarterback front until shortly after Rodgers confirmed he was staying in Wisconsin. And then Seattle dropped a BOOM louder than any produced by their storied defenses of the mid-2010s. The Seahawks traded Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick to the Broncos for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, plus quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris. That, folks, is what we call a blockbuster.

There is much to dissect about the trade. Will Wilson follow in the footsteps of Peyton Manning and Brady and win a Super Bowl ring with a second franchise? Who will be Seattle’s starting quarterback? Because surely it can’t be Lock, even for one season. Will they use their newly acquired ninth overall selection on a quarterback or trade away draft picks for the rights to Deshaun Watson? Watson is clearly the biggest quarterback talent pining for a new team, but he’s also mired in serious legal troubles. Grading a trade of this magnitude is a fun exercise but, in this case, highly irrelevant given the number of draft picks involved. Just