Russell Wilson is entering into a new era with the Denver Broncos, and there should be some goals he can accomplish in 2022.
Russell Wilson gives off the vibe that he always wants to get better, no matter what. He appears to be very legacy oriented, meaning it’s clear he wants to build his own legacy to be as thorough and great as possible.
That would also mean his teams see insane success. The Broncos, I think, are about to see as much as, or more success than the team had with Peyton Manning from 2012-2015. Now that Wilson has been in the NFL for a while, he’s beginning to climb up the all-time leaderboards in many categories.
Russell Wilson surely wants to end his career near the top of some of the most popular quarterback statistics, so here are three goals for the 2022 season that will help him get there.
3 aggressive goals for Russell Wilson on the Broncos in 2022
Pass Joe Flacco and move to 19th all-time in passing yards
Russell Wilson is currently 26th all-time in passing yards with 37,059. Joe Flacco, former Broncos’ quarterback, is 19th all-time with 41,269. It looks like Joe Flacco will get to play a few games this year too, as Zach Wilson is out with an injury.
Even if Flacco does play some games, I think one goal for Russell Wilson in 2022 is to pass Flacco to sit at 19th all-time in yards. As it stands now, he is 4,210 yards away from Flacco. 4,000 yard seasons in the NFL are becoming very common, and the barrier that a lot of quarterbacks want to break now is the 5,000-yard mark.
With the extra regular season game, Peyton Manning’s passing yard and touchdown record are in danger. I think Russell Wilson can easily throw for 4,000 yards in this offense, and being able to pass up quarterbacks on the all-time list like Donovan McNabb, Boomer Esiason, Johnny Unitas, and Joe Montana would be a monumental accomplishment.
3 aggressive goals for Russell Wilson on the Broncos in 2022
Throw for less than five interceptions during the season
Russell Wilson threw for a career-low five interceptions during his 2019 season. In six of his 10 seasons, he’s thrown for less than 10 interceptions, so he clearly takes care of the ball. I think a very challenging goal in 2022 would be to throw for no more than four interceptions during the season.
In today’s NFL, teams are loading up on offense and becoming pass-first clubs. So, by nature of that, more interceptions are thrown, which is how it should go. However, I think it would be cool to see Russell Wilson be an exception to that rule. There is a better than 50 percent chance that he’ll throw for less than 10 interceptions during the season, so why not push the envelope some more?
This may be unlikely because the Broncos seem to be expected to throw the ball at a higher pace than Wilson has done in his career with Seattle so far, so perhaps Wilson ends up throwing an interception or two more than he would like. However, he’s got one of the highest passer ratings in NFL history and is averaging just 9.2 interceptions each season.
His ability to not turn the ball over through the air might be one of the more underrated qualities of Russell Wilson, and I think he can bring that pedigree to the Denver Broncos in 2022 and beyond.
3 aggressive goals for Russell Wilson on the Broncos in 2022
Lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory
This is the most aggressive and biggest accomplishment the Denver Broncos can enjoy in 2022. Obviously, this would be the absolute best-case scenario for the team. Both Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford won Super Bowls in their first season with their new teams. We’ve seen it happen the past two seasons right in front of our eyes, so there’s nothing wrong with mentioning it regarding the Broncos.
I think it’s unlikely, and I think it’s a safer bet to predict that the Broncos win the big game in 2023 or 2024 perhaps, but anything can happen. Both the 2020 Buccaneers and 2021 Rams had a bit of turbulence during their championship seasons, so it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
The Broncos are likely to have some turbulence of their own, but that doesn’t mean the train is falling off the tracks, but rather a lack of chemistry because of how new the team itself is. As I’ve said in other pieces, I think the Broncos have the necessary players to win the big game, and at the most important positions in today’s NFL, they’ve got insane talent.
The AFC West is going to be a bloodbath in 2022, but I would take my chances with Russell Wilson.