It’s been a wild ride over the last few years for Russell Wilson. The man who had enjoyed so much success in Seattle, bringing the city their first ever Lombardi Trophy and surely going down as the Seahawks’ greatest Quarterback in their history so far, has suffered a dramatic fall from grace since being traded to the Denver Broncos in March 2022.
From stories about Wilson having his own office in the Broncos building, to doing high knees and other exercises during a flight down the plane aisle, he is somewhat of a marmite character. However, what can’t be doubted is he has enjoyed great success as an NFL Quarterback. The question now is, can he reach those previous heights again?
Seattle Success
Russell Wilson was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFL draft in the third round (75th selection overall). Many thought he was too small to be a quarterback before the draft process. It was widely accepted that he had a very quick mind and could process information instantly, but the size doubts remained.
However, Seahawks head coach at the time, Pete Carroll (after some convincing) decided to take him and that turned out to be a career defining decision for both of them. In his rookie year, Wilson tied Peyton Manning’s then-record for most passing touchdowns for a player just entering the league and he was also named Pepsi’s NFL rookie of the year.
Wilson then went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 against, ironically, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. He spent another eight years in Seattle, made another Super Bowl and made the Seahawks perennial playoff contenders every year.
Problems in Denver
They say all good things must come to and end and in 2022, Seattle agreed to a trade with the Broncos in 2022. The terms of the trade saw Wilson join the Broncos in exchange for five draft picks, including two first-rounders, and three players. A very expensive trade for Denver, but they believed they were getting a future hall of famer who would turn the franchise around.
Unfortunately for Wilson and the Broncos, that didn’t happen. His first season was strange right out of the gate. In a twist of fate, Wilson’s first game as a Bronco was in the city where he made his name, Seattle, which the Broncos lost. Amid talk of the Denver players not gelling with Wilson and a rookie head coach struggling, the Broncos finished the season at 5-12.
This brought about significant changes in the Mile High City. A new head coach was appointed, Sean Peyton, who was one of the hottest coaches available after enjoying huge success in New Orleans. It was expected Peyton would unlock Wilson and get Dever back to the playoffs.
Once again though, it didn’t work out. Although Wilson played much better than the previous year, he still didn’t seem the man that could get Denver over the line. There were visible disagreements between Peyton and his QB and a divorce seemed on the cards.
Lo and Behold, Wilson was released, with Denver willing to eat his salary just to get rid of him. The Pittsburgh Steelers picked him up and are only paying him $1.2 million this year. This is a pivotal season for Wilson, let’s see if he still has what it takes to lead a team to the playoffs.
