Russell Wilson has Denver Broncos in long-term plans
New Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson plans on playing a lot longer than his current contract implies.
The Denver Broncos traded for star quarterback Russell Wilson and the move became official on Wednesday when free agency began. Wilson, the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback, arrives to Denver with his current contract which expires in two years.
By that time, Wilson be 35-years old. Despite that “old” age, Wilson could hypothetically play for another five-plus years.
Wilson hopes that it’s longer.
In fact, Wilson hopes that it’s at least twice as long as that five-year achievement.
#Broncos Wilson. "My goal is to play 10-12 more years and win 3-4 more Super Bowls. My goal is to finish my career here." #Denver7
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) March 16, 2022
Before we even get into the idea of Wilson playing that long, the Denver Broncos need to hammer out a long-term deal for the quarterback. We have not had this caliber of a quarterback in so long, it would make zero sense to let him sign with another team in two years.
I mean, not only would that seem very dumb, it also does not seem likely that they would do that anyway.
If Wilson is going to play until he is 40+ years old, the Denver Broncos are going to need to protect him at all costs. According to Pro Football Reference, Wilson has been sacked 427 times in his career, which began in 2012 as a third-round pick of the Seahawks. That’s the 14th-most times sacked since the stat started being recorded in in 1982.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Denver Broncos gave up 42 sacks in 2021. That was the ninth-most in the league. The Seahawks gave up 46, which ranked 7th.
Wilson is a quarterback that has won 104 of 158 games throughout his career. Even though he absorbed 51 sacks in 2018, the Seahawks managed to win ten games. Similarly, in 2019, the Seahawks won 11 games while Wilson took 48 sacks.
But as he gets older, his mobility and effectiveness is surely going to diminish. The Broncos need to do everything they can to make sure he’s as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Hopefully, the lack of sacks given up will result in more victories and potentially even some Super Bowl victories.
The Broncos added to their offensive line via free agency, signing former 49ers tackle Tom Compton. The hope around Broncos Country is that they will do more to address protection for Wilson.
Lastly, I want to thank general manager George Paton for making the move to trade for Wilson happen.