Russell Wilson has had a rough tenure as a Denver Bronco. Could he be at a point where he'd consider requesting a trade after just a year and change? Honestly, could Wilson be at the end of his rope in Denver? The 2022 season was the worst year of his football career and I don't think he expected anything close to what happened last year.
Now, in 2023, not only has he returned to his old form, but the offense entirely is more efficient. However, I'm not sure anyone within the organization expected the Denver Broncos defense to be as bad as it has been. The team had the worst performance in franchise history in Week 3, allowing over 700 total yards and 70 points.
At some point, I'm sure there will be or already has been some chatter from the offensive personnel about how an efficient offensive season, which Denver has not had since 2014, could be wasted by a terrible defense. And I think when you try to see Russell Wilson's point of view, you could probably see why Wilson would at some point no longer want to be a part of this team if the defense does not get better. He turns 35 late in the season and may not have a ton of time left in the NFL.
Why would he want to waste the last potentially efficient seasons of his career on a team that isn't winning many games? I would not blame him if he has thought that or ends up thinking it at some point. Obviously, the biggest issue here is twofold:
Firstly, what team would seriously consider trading for Russell Wilson the player at the trade deadline?
and
What team would seriously consider trading for that contract?
To be fair, after three games, Wilson is on pace for 34 touchdown passes and 4,483 yards. He's objectively playing very good football. Perhaps a contending team endures an injury to their starter, opening up the possibility of a Russell Wilson trade. I do think there is also relevant discussion to be had as to whether or not Sean Payton would want to stick with Wilson beyond this year anyway.
It makes more financial sense to trade him at the deadline in 2023 than to cut him in the 2024 NFL offseason. Perhaps I'm totally wrong and Russell Wilson is bought into this program for the long haul and has absolutely no thoughts about this, but I think it's a conversation worth having.