3 reasons Russell Wilson bounces back in 2023, 3 reasons he doesn't
Russell Wilson DOESN'T bounce back because he's not as athletic anymore
One thing to note about Russell Wilson's style of play is that is probably doesn't age very well. For 10 years in Seattle, he became known for what he could do off-script and with his legs. However, being a mobile quarterback doesn't typically age well in the NFL. It's really the true pocket passers that have the longevity in this league.
Russell Wilson turns 35 years old in the latter part of the season, and we saw how unathletic he was in 2022. Some would even say he showed signs of an athletic decline in 2021 as well. We do know that Wilson was playing about 15 pounds heavier in 2022 than he typically does, so perhaps the added weight prevented him from being as mobile. Wilson is back down near 210 pounds, so perhaps we can still see him use his legs.
However, father time is undefeated, and he won't make an exception for Russell Wilson.
Russell Wilson DOESN'T bounce back because he's just too stubborn
Russell Wilson seemed insistent that he wanted to be a pocket passer when he forced his way out of Seattle and came to Denver last year. He bulked up and wanted more control of the offense. The rumor is that he wanted to become more of a pocket passer with the likes of some of the best the game has ever seen.
And the bad part about that for Denver is that they didn't have a coach in that building who had the you know what to stand up to Wilson to tell him "no way dude, that isn't who you are." So instead, we saw Russell Wilson run the offense he wanted to run but to no avail. Wilson is not a pocket passer, and he never will be.
He's become one of the greatest QBs of all time because of his mobility. He's got the third-most rushing yards by a QB in NFL history, and that isn't by accident. Reports are that Wilson has fully bought into the offense that Payton plans on running, but how can we be so sure?
How do we know Wilson won't just return to his old ways from 2022 and insist on being a pocket passer? Not to compare myself to a professional athlete, by I and my entire family are incredibly stubborn, and if someone told me something I didn't want to hear, I'd probably not listen and even disregard what they said.