Broncos captain takes not-so-subtle shot at Russell Wilson while praising Bo Nix

The Denver Broncos were obviously desperate to get rid of quarterback Russell Wilson in the 2024 offseason, as evidenced by the fact that they took on an unprecedented $85 million in dead salary cap upon releasing him. Not only that, but the Broncos still owed Wilson $39 million in 2024, a number that was only sliced to $37.8 million after he signed for the veteran minimum with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The franchise was motivated to move on from Wilson, making that blockbuster trade from 2022 a failure in many ways. But it wasn't just Sean Payton or the ownership group that wanted to move on from Russell Wilson and start fresh at quarterback. There have been lingering rumors that Wilson wasn't unanimously well-liked or even respected by his teammates in both Seattle and Denver, and some of his former teammates have been really outspoken with their disdain for Wilson and some of the theatrics that come with him.

While a lot of that is obviously over the top and petty, the differences between Wilson and Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix have been noticeable for the players who are holdovers from last year, including offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey.

McGlinchey recently had an interesting comment when asked about Nix that sounds like a not-so-subtle dig at Russell Wilson...

“I think he's been great. [QB] Bo [Nix] is a great dude. He's a great guy to hang out with [and] a great guy to have a conversation with. I think he's fit in unbelievably well, and he has come in and been authentically himself. I think that's all you can ask for from him. For us, he doesn't have to be somebody that he's not just because he's the, you know, superstar quarterback of an NFL franchise. He's a homegrown dude that really likes playing football and really likes being a teammate. That's definitely shown through to the rest of us in the way that we appreciate his work so far.”

- Broncos OT Mike McGlinchey, via team PR (emphasis added)

The bit about Nix not having to be "somebody that he's not" just because he's the "superstar quarterback" is really intriguing, isn't it?

One of the things that consistently came up with Wilson was the issue of authenticity. Wilson was unapologetically robotic at the podium for press conferences, and you have to applaud his consistency with it. He is always positive, always focused on saying the right things. But along with that came a lack of authenticity for those of us that watched Wilson day in and day out. Many wanted to see him "break character" at some point, just so we could know he truly cared.

Incidentally, the first time Wilson really broke character was when he was explaining the Broncos approaching him about his contract during the bye week last year.

The Broncos may have moved on from Russell Wilson, but things like this will continue to be at the forefront of the news because Wilson is obviously still a relevant topic. He will be coming to Denver in Week 2 as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and trying to exact revenge on the team that cut him in one of the more unceremonious moves in NFL history.

Although it may be the Broncos who are looking to exact revenge after getting hoodwinked by Wilson.