Russell Wilson will no longer be a twice-a-year thorn in the Cardinals' side.

After more than a year of speculation, the Seahawks are trading their franchise quarterback. It's not official yet -- it can't be consummated until March 16, the opening of the new league year, once everyone takes physicals and all that -- but Wilson is headed to Denver to quarterback the Broncos in a stunning turn of events Tuesday.

I mean, it was supposed to be Aaron Rodgers' day, with A-Rod agreeing to a big extension to stay in Green Bay. Instead, it'll be Wilson on the move that grabs the headlines.

The full deal is Wilson and a fourth-round pick to Denver, while the Seahawks -- who did not have a first-round pick -- get two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

It changes the NFC West for sure.

Suddenly, now both the Seahawks and the 49ers have questions at quarterback. Yes, Trey Lance was picked as the QB of the future for San Francisco, but no one knows how that will play out. Is Lock the Seahawks short-term QB? Do the Seahawks, with the ninth overall pick from Denver, take a QB?

(And yes, it's safe to say the Wilson-Mahomes-Herbert-Carr AFC West has probably jumped the NFC West as top division in the league. The QB means that much.)

Free agency is coming and already the NFL offseason has exploded.

The Cardinals haven't gotten away from Wilson totally. The Cards play in Denver this season. But Wilson has had many good games against the Cardinals over the years and that matchup is done with Seattle. Interestingly, Wilson's first game for the Seahawks was in Arizona against the Cardinals (a Cardinals' win) and his last game for for Seahawks was in Arizona against the Cardinals (a Wilson win.)