The once elite quarterback has been in a decline since he first arrived with the Denver Broncos back in 2022. Russell Wilson is still a free agent. Back in 2022, which was already three years ago, the Broncos swung what was at the time one of the biggest trades in NFL history, landing Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks for a plethora of draft picks and players.
Wilson had just come off a 2021 season with the Seahawks where he threw 25 touchdowns against just six interceptions for a 103.1 passer rating. At the time of coming to the Broncos, Wilson had thrown 292 touchdowns against 87 interceptions for a 101.8 passer rating.
Russell Wilson is not having a good time
Many people in Broncos Country thought the team had landed their QB of the future. Well, they landed the complete opposite. Wilson started 30 games for the Broncos, going 11-19 and throwing 42 touchdowns against 19 interceptions for a measly 90.9 passer rating.
Controversially, following the 2023 NFL Season, Denver cut ties with Wilson before the bulk of his contract extension kicked in. They reset at QB with Bo Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the rest is history. Russell Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and did not perform much better. He went 6-5 as a starter and finished the season with a 95.6 passer rating. With that said, the Steelers did lose five games in a row to end the season, including their playoff loss.
And now, weeks after free agency opened, Wilson is still without a new team, and it seems like the interested teams are actually waiting to see what Aaron Rodgers decides to do. Russell Wilson appears to be a second or third option for teams waiting for what Rodgers decides to do. Frankly, it's pathetic, and to preserve his legacy, Wilson needs to retire.
At his peak, Russell Wilson was a top-5 QB in the NFL and is one of the very best dual-threat quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. Many people bashed the Broncos for cutting Wilson and proceeding to draft Nix, but it seems like Sean Payton saw the writing on the all with their former QB.
And as Wilson ages into his age-37 season, it's not like things are going to get easier for him. He'll be a year older, a year less mobile, and overall a year more declined. It'll be interesting to see which team falls for the Russell Wilson trap in 2025. But let's be glad that the Denver Broncos moved on.