Wilson and Leshoure Heading to Fransburg

Batavia, IL

In a somewhat surprising move, the Batavia Colliders traded away quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Mikel Leshoure to the Fransburg (r)EvoLUtion for a first and fifth round draft pick in the upcoming 2013 draft (Batavia also sent a 4th rounder to Fransburg.)

The move is surprising insofar as Wilson was once thought to be the heir-apparent to Aaron Rodgers. Wilson was a second round draft pick last season, and then had an incredible 30-TD, 10 INT campaign as a rookie. Wilson improved on a weekly basis, and some predict a bright future for the young signal caller. Furthermore, he only cost $7 and is holdout-proof for the remaining 2 years of his contract.

The Colliders picked up Colin Kaepernick, who blossomed as the starting QB for the Niners, leading them to the Super Bowl. Now it’s Kaepernick, apparently, who is line to replace Rodgers. If he plays as a top-10 QB, however, he’ll cost quite a bit more than Russell Wilson did.

Rodgers is still under contract for two more years, so the Colliders have some time to find another quarterback if Kaepernick fails to meet expectations. But having both Kaepernick and Wilson on the roster didn’t make a lot of sense.

For the (r)EvoLUtion, the move gives them a future star at the important position of QB. And, if Robot Neck Peyton Manning gets spinaled this season, then Wilson can come in and play at a high level right away. It seems like Jay Cutler may be the odd man out; he scored nearly 75 fewer points than Wilson did last season. Cutting Cutler would almost completely cover the cost of acquiring Wilson.

Mikel Leshoure was thrown into the mix, even though the Colliders are thin at RB already. He was deemed expendable, however, after the Lions acquired Reggie Bush.

The Colliders now have the 7th and 8th pick in the draft, but most experts don’t believe that they’ll be able to address their RB needs through that avenue. The draft is rich in offensive tackles, but thin at the skill positions.

Some Colliders’ players took to twitter to voice their frustration with the move:

The departing players focused on the positive as they left their parting words:

While some question the wisdom of trading an inexpensive-potential-franchise-QB for an untested rookie, Colliders GM Josh Hammond has demonstrated other-worldly acumen when it comes to acquiring talent. For now, this columnist will assume that this is just yet another genius move by the front office.

© 2013, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.