Getty Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson warming up prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers.
While the Denver Broncos struggled last year with quarterback Russell Wilson leading the charge, many criticized Wilson for being overweight last season.
So far in the offseason, Wilson has looked like he has slimmed down while making the rounds during his appearances at the Denver Nuggets playoff games.
On June 17, Wilson posted a video on his Twitter account show a unique and intense workout showing that he means business entering the 2023 football season.
On May 25, Wilson told the Denver media, “I feel great. I feel lean and mean, ready to go, and focused.”
Wilson was asked a follow up question on how many pounds that he has lost and he made sure to not say the exact number.
“I’m not worried about that, I’m not counting. All I know is that I’m excited to play again.”
Wilson Turned Down a Trade to the Eagles in 2022
On April 8, Ian Rapoport jumped on the Joey Mulinaro Podcast and explained that there was a real chance that Wilson could’ve been traded to one of two NFC East teams.
“There were times last year where I was pretty convinced either the Eagles or Commanders were going to trade for Russell Wilson,” Rapoport said. “That was one where you kinda stop everything and you’re like, ‘Hang on.’ Now, it turned out that that was not something he was into and he was only into going to the Broncos.”
Since Wilson had a no-trade clause in his last contract with the Seahawks, he was able to control his destination on where he wanted to play.
We have now discovered from Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated that Wilson turned down the trade to Philadelphia.
During a radio interview with Seattle Sports on May 31, Bishop said, “I think the Eagles really wanted him.” Bishop continued, “I think they liked his style of play; I think that makes sense, right? It’s similar to Jalen Hurts, especially when he was in his prime and a little bit faster, I think, than now. And, yeah, my understanding at that time is that Russ wanted to stay here and then ultimately that’s not what happened.”
The top choice for Wilson the entire time was Denver, according to Ian Rapoport.
“My understanding was this was the only team Russell Wilson wanted to go to,” Rapoport said during NFL Total Access on March 8, 2022. “A couple teams had talked to Seattle about trading for Russell Wilson. Washington Commanders were among the teams that made an offer. It was a big offer, as good or even better than this. Russell Wilson wanted to go to the Denver Broncos. It’s a place he likes, it’s near his family, it’s on the West Coast and they have a roster that is essentially stacked at receiver, on defense, at running back. All they needed was a quarterback, and they got one.”
Sean Payton Must Fix Wilson’s Issues From Last Year
After the Broncos started the season off with a 2-2 overall record, former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton jumped on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” in October and explained that Wilson can be fixed.
“You correct flaws immediately, and then we don’t worry about how long the process is going to take,” Payton said. “In other words, I’d want a cut-up today of all of Russell’s pass plays of 30 or more yards from the field and I’d want to see, ‘Are there some schemes that he felt very comfortable with?’”
Payton also mentioned that he would like to see what Wilson did successful in Seattle.
“I know that they did a great job in Seattle of bringing him off of a naked-boot and then pulling up,” Payton said. “And then we all saw that throwback to [Tyler] Lockett across the field where the ball traveled 60 yards in the air.”
Payton would also want to see the touchdowns that Wilson has thrown in the red zone.
“I’d want to look at another film of his red zone touchdown passes inside the 20,” Payton said. “What I’m asking for from assistants is, I’m asking for some of his greatest hits, and to make sure that we have those song lyrics available, and if not, let’s put them in.”
During the final two games of the season, the Broncos named Justin Outten the offensive play caller and Wilson ended up playing his best football of the season.
In the first 13 games of the season, Wilson averaged just 232.2 yards per game in the air while completing 60 percent of his passes. The former Super Bowl winning quarterback had thrown for 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Over the final two games with Outten, Wilson’s average jumped to 252.5 passing yards per game and 62.9 percent of his passes being completed. The Denver gun-slinger also threw four touchdowns to two interceptions and his quarterback rating jumped from 82.6 to 96.5.
Looks like there was proof that after all the injuries, getting to a more creative play caller, and an improved offensive line, there is hope that Wilson can play like he did in Seattle.
