Presently, Patrick Mahomes dominates the NFL offseason. From MVP nods to viral training camp clips, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback continues to command attention, even in June. Mahomes’ most recent offseason headliner? During Chiefs OTAs, a behind-the-back, no-look pass attempt went viral on social media. The throw, executed after a smooth play-action fake to Isiah Pacheco, didn’t even need a target to go viral. That’s the kind of sway Mahomes holds. But while Mahomes was amassing retweets, Russell Wilson, another Super Bowl-winning quarterback, chose to subtly put a stop to the Kansas City hype train.

Wilson chose a viral memory over a viral pass. The Giants quarterback uploaded a highlight reel of his 76 touchdown passes throughout his three seasons at NC State on his Instagram account. Pack Football originally posted the reel. But Wilson wasn’t just promoting nostalgia. He specifically captioned his story: “Good days! Freshman year! NO Looker first TD Pass in College! 🤣” It served as an unsubtle reminder that Wilson was making no-look throws before they became a Mahomes brand.

And there’s truth behind that post. Russell Wilson’s career began with surgical effectiveness at Wisconsin. Wilson posted a staggering 33 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions in his lone season (2011). Many of the tosses occurred on rollouts, bootlegs, or while avoiding pressure, all of which were characteristics of Wilson’s eventual defining style of controlled chaos.

His creative edge became his defining characteristic when he joined the NFL. Wilson amassed 350 touchdown passes over 13 seasons, ranking 12th in league history overall and surpassing legends such as John Elway and Fran Tarkenton. From his early days launching deep balls to Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett to his later stints improvising behind shaky offensive lines in Pittsburgh, Wilson’s been a pioneer of off-platform quarterbacking, long before it was hashtag material.

But Patrick Mahomes popularised that improvisational approach. Mahomes has now scored 245 touchdown passes in just eight NFL seasons, earning MVP awards and Super Bowl rings. He has a special talent for combining timing, arm angles, and vision manipulation into passes that seem like they have been pulled out of a video game. But while Mahomes goes viral with his no-look passes, Wilson attempts to strike a balance between leadership and job survival, and not everyone buys it.

Russell Wilson’s QB guidance questioned by NFL legends

Wilson is in unfamiliar territory as his 14th NFL season draws up. He is now with the New York Giants, a stopwatch-ticking quarterback who is no longer the face of a team. A first-round selection and rookie, Jaxson Dart, looks to be the future. Wilson insists he’s mentoring Dart with open arms: “I think that it’s not just about one teammate, it’s about all the teammates. It’s about everybody in the building,” Wilson told reporters. But that quote drew sharp responses from NFL legends.

On their Nightcap podcast, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson dismantled Wilson’s leadership narrative. “He has the gift of gab…He has to say that. Does he really feel that way? Absolutely not,” Johnson said, referring to Wilson’s carefully crafted remarks. Johnson talked about how veterans who face QB1 competition frequently feel more pressure than they admit.

Sharpe also doubled down, recalling how even stars oppose genuine mentoring when replacements are being groomed behind them. “They are going to fight through injury because they don’t want you to get a look at that backup,” Sharpe said. Because that’s all it takes—one injury, one mistake. The message? In the NFL, mentoring often comes with a hidden expiration date.

So, while Mahomes masters the art of the viral pass, Wilson is battling for legacy, leverage, and a few more Sundays under center. One is in control of his narrative, while the other is attempting to hold on. And in this offseason game of optics, Wilson just tossed his own no-look straight at Mahomes’ media throne.