To say that watching Russell Wilson’s level of play in 2023 was shocking is an understatement. I expected the Broncos to be competing for the #1 seed in the AFC but instead, they struggled to remain relevant. By midseason, it was painfully obvious that the Broncos weren’t going anywhere. Between the injuries, Nathaniel Hackett, and Wilson’s inability to do much of anything, the Broncos quickly fell to the bottom of the AFC West. The only reason anyone even spoke about the Broncos by the season’s end was that the Seahawks owned their first-round pick.
Broncos’ fans went from laughing at the Seahawks to wishing they had Geno Smith.
I have been one of Russell Wilson’s most staunch supporters and defenders. I’ve routinely called him the best quarterback in the NFL, one of the great winners in NFL history, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I thought he was one of the greatest playmakers in the league and that the Seahawks made a terrible mistake by trading him. However, I soon realized just how wrong I was, and though I tried to write articles from the perspective of praising Geno Smith, I feel it’s important to be fair. I can’t be the first to praise Wilson when he plays well and yet be silent when he plays horribly.
Russell Wilson himself acknowledged that he needed to reevaluate his entire routine for the 2023 season.
The 2023 Season
There’s no way to sugarcoat this, but you can’t be one of the largest cap hits in the league while also being statistically the worst quarterback. In fairness to Russell Wilson, I grossly overestimated Denver’s offensive line. They finished the regular season ranked 21st by Pro Football Focus, and after losing Garett Bolles with a season-ending injury, Russell Wilson was under duress en route to getting sacked 55 times, the most in the NFL. The jaw-dropping escapability and play-making ability we had come to associate with Wilson was gone, and his numbers across the board plummeted. He ended the season with a career-low in passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and quarterback rating.
Mr. Unlimted had become extremely limited.
Nathaniel Hackett, rightfully, was fired before the season ended, and Denver shockingly traded for former Saints head coach Sean Payton. This off-season, the Broncos have some retooling to do, and they get key players back like Tim Patrick, Garett Bolles, and Javonte Williams. Russell Wilson will be coached and have plays called for him by one of the great offensive minds this game has ever seen. There will be no excuse if Wilson doesn’t perform this next season. And with his ever-growing cap hit, Wilson will be on Denver’s roster for the foreseeable future.
I wanted to see Russell Wilson stick it to the Seahawks. I had hoped he would show everyone that he’s truly one of the game’s great quarterbacks and that Pete Carroll’s conservative nature of football was holding him back. After watching the disaster that was Denver’s 2023 season as compared to Seattle’s season, however, I no longer look at Pete Carroll the same way. Of course, if Wilson comes out in 2023, looks like his old self, and Denver is excellent, I’ll reevaluate. Until then, I give Pete Carroll major props on moving on from the greatest Seahawks of all time.
Looking Ahead…
Pete Carroll appears to have seen something that no one else saw coming. Among qualified quarterbacks, Russell Wilson ranked 29th by Pro Football Focus when he’s never finished lower than 14th when healthy. We’ve never seen a quarterback’s on-the-field performance dip like Wilson’s did without a catastrophic injury. Something that Wilson has avoided his entire career. Either Nathaniel Hackett was simply that terrible, or father time not only snuck up on Russell Wilson, but it also ran him over.
He went from one of the game’s most “DangeRuss” dual threats to barely looking to run. Wilson’s acknowledged he wants to play for a long time, and learning to win from the pocket increases those chances. However, he’s still only 5’11 and relied on mobility to create passing lanes. If that aspect of Wilson’s game is flat-out gone, he becomes a much easier quarterback to defend. Going into the 2023 season, Wilson should have a serious chip on his shoulder.
I hope Wilson’s 2023 season is a great success and the Broncos make it to the playoffs. Seeing Russell Wilson take to the post-game podium looking and sounding as defeated as he was, was hard to watch. Wilson did end the season playing some of his best football, so maybe he can move into this off-season with some optimism. Winning is all he’s known throughout his career, and 2023 was a tough pill to swallow.
In the end, I still view Wilson as a Hall of Famer and one of the game’s most underrated quarterbacks. However, if Wilson struggles again next season with all that offensive talent, we’ll start looking at his situation in the opposite light people view Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. People will give all the credit to Pete Carroll and the Legion of Boom, and claim Wilson went along for a good ride. Fair or not, that’s the reality of playing a team sport.
Check out more NFL related articles by the Belly Up Sports team.
