There was a time when Russell Wilson was one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. A nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champion, Wilson will probably get a gold jacket in Canton, Ohio, one day. But these days, he’s a lot closer to washed-up than being an outright difference-maker.
Unfortunately, Russell Wilson is the only person who doesn’t seem to understand this.
In a new episode of Brandon Marshall’s I Am Athlete podcast, the Denver Broncos quarterback expressed a ton of confidence in his remaining years in the NFL. That, dearest readers, is an understatement because the 35-year-old Wilson told Marshall he wants to win two Super Bowls (!) in the next five years.
Yeah. Sure. OK.
EXCLUSIVE: Brandon Marshall sits down for an in-depth interview with Russell Wilson:
“I’ve got more fire now than ever, and for me, it’s all about winning. I just want to win.” pic.twitter.com/clGt5YRzUX
— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) February 25, 2024
Look, I get Wilson is an athlete, and being confident in oneself is part of the deal. I understand he’s supposed to believe he can still shine in the NFL, and answers like this are probably things he’s supposed to say when talking about what else he can accomplish. No one’s disputing this.
But at a certain point, a tiny modicum of self-awareness would be more helpful.
Over the past two seasons, Wilson has been a shell of himself with the Broncos. In Year 1, he was one of the NFL’s most erratic quarterbacks. There were elaborate jokes about him having more bathrooms in his Denver area mansion than touchdown passes. Sean Payton even equated his play to a car driving off a cliff. In Year 2, he was a red-zone merchant who barely eclipsed 3,000 passing yards on an eight-win team. The Broncos expected to contend with Wilson after trading the farm for him, and instead, they are mired in mediocrity. We can argue about the brazen business practice on another day, but they literally benched him in the middle of a playoff race for salary-cap purposes just so they could lessen their tremendous future financial commitment to him.
Which raises more essential points.
Assuming Wilson has anything left in the tank as an elite starter, who’s he starting for next year? Are the Broncos even going to bring him back? Which team could conceivably give him an opportunity to win not one but two more Super Bowls in his late 30s?
Wilson saying something this outlandish about winning more championships at this late stage of his career sounds a lot like a guy poorly coping with his pro football mortality. It’s honestly kinda sad to see. But hey, Wilson might not be totally wrong about winning a couple more titles.
He could always sign a new contract and be Patrick Mahomes’ backup. No. 2 quarterbacks get rings, too.
