When Denver signed Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, Broncos country had high hopes. The Broncos had won their last Super Bowl in 2016. After that win, they hadn’t even managed to make it to the playoffs. Signing Wilson made sense. Yeah! He would turn around the Broncos’ fortunes, fans thought. After all, he had a 104-53-1 record with the Seahawks. But all their hopes were dashed when they ended the 2022 season 5-12.

“I would be shocked if Russell Wilson was the starter for 17 games this season. … If Russell Wilson has the smallest bump in the road, he will be benched,” former NY Jets GM, Mike Tannenbaum, said of Wilson. But that was in August 2023, when the season had not begun. Now, going into Week 7 of the 2023 season, Wilson has had more than just the smallest bump in the road. So, are we witnessing the beginning of the end of Russell Wilson?

Will the Broncos pull the plug on Russell Wilson?

The Broncos had shelled out a fortune to acquire the 34-year-old QB for $245 million. But as the 2022 season unfolded, Broncos fans wrote it off as just an anomaly. And with Payton’s hiring in 2023, things seemed hopeful again. And things did change. In 2023, the #3 QB set career records, but not in a good way. In the 70-20 blowout loss against the Dolphins, he registered the first game of his 12-year career with less than 150 passing yards. His 95 passing yards against the 19-8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, was the third-worst total of 179 games that he had played in his career.

Ryan Clark, an ESPN Analyst speaking on ESPN’s Get Up show, was unforgiving in his critique of the Payton-Wilson duo. “This is one of the worst matches of coaches and quarterbacks, schematically and also personality-wise.” His allegations are not entirely unjustified. There is some credence to the fact that “Wilson brand has become so much bigger than the player”. He had come under fire for demanding his own private office, which he gave up late in the 2022 season. Payton allegedly asked him to “stop running for public office” and play football.

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Tired of letting “Russ cook”, the Broncos team and the owners want wins. NFL Insider, Dan Graziano let slip that, “Yes, I believe there is a non-zero chance it gets to the point where Wilson gets benched for Stidham. The Broncos gave Stidham real money in the offseason, more than you’d have thought would be necessary to secure his services as a backup.” Payton had hand-picked Jarrett Stidham, who had played for the Patriots before, as his #2 QB. Is he being groomed to replace Wilson? And will it really come to that?

Here’s some interesting data on Russell Wilson!

“In this case, I think he’s a No. 2 whose arrow is moving in a direction where we feel like he can become an NFL starter in our league,” Payton said of Stidham in March. But Wilson’s teammates are not ready to give up on Wilson yet. “We all know what he’s about,” WR Courtland Sutton had said. “We know what he’s done in this league. He doesn’t let us waver. He keeps working, grinding.” And indeed, it would be unfair to lay all the blame for the Broncos’ woes on the shoulders of Rus. And the numbers agree.

Broncos Russell Wilson Becomes Vintage Russ as $245 Million QB Shines in Front of ‘MVP Favorite’

In the match against the Washington Commanders, which yes, they lost, Wilson became the NFL’s first QB to pass for at least 40,000 yards and rush for at least 5,000 yards. And how does he stack up against other QBs in the league? Why compare him with anyone else, when we can see how he stacks up against the greatest QB in the league right now – 2x SB Champion, Patrick Mahomes? According to ESPN, both Mahomes and Wilson have a pass completion of 67%. In fact, Wilson has higher yards per attempt than Mahomes’ 7.0 at 7.4. And Wilson has scored 10 TDs for 4 interceptions as compared to Mahomes’ 9 for 4.

Wilson has not turned out to be the panacea that the Broncos had hoped for, but he is not the problem either. At least, not entirely the problem. The Broncos’ defense has played a crucial part in the Broncos’ abysmal start to the season. They blew up the 18-point lead against the Commanders and allowed a 50-point margin to the Dolphins. But yes, if the losses continue to mount, Russell Wilson’s Broncos ride may come to an abrupt stop. Wilson will get his next opportunity when the Broncos face off against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High on 22 October, 4:25 p.m. ET.

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Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.