Russell Wilson’s first NFL stop was phenomenal, as he played at a near Hall of Fame level for the Seattle Seahawks. Then Wilson’s two seasons with the Denver Broncos went so poorly, it will go down among the worst trades and contracts in NFL history.
We’ll see what the third act brings. Wilson announced on social media Sunday that he plans to sign with the Pittsburgh, confirming multiple reports.
Two years ago when the Broncos traded for Wilson, there was a lot of excitement over what was to come. This time around, nobody knows what will happen next.
Russell Wilson improved last season
The refrain after the Broncos landed Sean Payton to be their head coach a year ago was that he was in charge of fixing Wilson. And in some ways, he did.
Wilson was much better last season than he was for Nathaniel Hackett in 2022. Hackett was in way over his head as an NFL head coach and everything about that Broncos team was awful, including Wilson. Wilson looked like one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last season.
Wilson didn’t play up to what the Broncos gave up for him in a trade or the contract extension he signed — the Broncos decided to cut him and eat an $85 million dead salary-cap hit, after all — but he was better. His completion percentage rose from 60.5 in 2022 to 66.4 last season. He threw for 26 touchdowns, up from 16 the year before. He cut his interceptions from 11 to 8. His passer rating was 98, after posting an 84.4 under Hackett.
He wasn’t all the way back to the player who made nine Pro Bowls in 10 Seahawks seasons, but it was better. Good enough that he’ll get another shot at age 35 to rewrite his legacy.
