Russell Wilson's career-changing wish has turned into a nightmare
Clichés are often overrated, but there are some that certainly hold enough weight to where it's a good idea to abide by them as much as possible.The phrase, "Be careful what you wish for", is one of them and Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is living it after Sean Payton benched him for the final two […]
Clichés are often overrated, but there are some that certainly hold enough weight to where it's a good idea to abide by them as much as possible.
The phrase, "Be careful what you wish for", is one of them and Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is living it after Sean Payton benched him for the final two games of the regular season.
The irony of Payton's decision -and it's a huge chunk of irony- is Wilson reportedly lobbied for the former New Orleans Saints legend to be his head coach. It all started when he allegedly tried to get Seattle Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, and general manager, John Schneider, fired before he was traded to the Broncos. Even then, Wilson had Payton in mind as Carroll's replacement.
Then, former Broncos running back, Latavius Murray confirmed Wilson was the "backfield teammate" mentioned in a text to Payton stating that both guys wanted him to coach the team. That happened just a few days before Nathaniel Hackett was fired in 2022.
And, finally, FOX Sports host, Colin Cowherd, reported Wilson had made direct contact with Payton in mid-January of 2023. Say what you want about Cowherd, but it's clear there was plenty of fire accompanying the smoke.
Well, Wilson got his wish. And now, he's at the biggest crossroads of his career, as the Broncos are expected to cut him in 2024.
Raw stats don't tell the whole story of Wilson and the Broncos offense
Wilson has improved since his disastrous 2022 campaign and he even has more passing touchdowns, along with less interceptions, than guys named Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, and Trevor Lawrence. His 26 passing TDs are as many, or more, as Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert.
But, raw stats don't tell the whole story. Wilson, for the most part, has been inefficient throughout the season and it's held the offense back. We all saw the recent blow-up on the sidelines with Payton, as well, signaling Wilson's play is wearing on the Broncos head coach.
He's 21st in QBR -and not the traditional QB rating, the ESPN metric– and he's 20th in success rate, at 43.3% per play. His 6.04 ANY/A is 17th, he's 24th in intended air yards per attempt, and he's been responsible for 24.3% of his own allowed pressures – the NFL's worst rate among healthy, starting quarterbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
As a result, the offense is mid-pack when it comes to putting points on the board, at 21.8 points per game.
It's clear Wilson just doesn't have it, anymore. If he does have more years left, he's not going to revive his career in Denver.
It's quite the ironic twist, when zooming out and looking at the entire picture. And there is no telling where things go once Wilson is out of the picture, next year.
