March 11, 2022 | SPORTS | By Michael Braithwaite
Just before noon on Tuesday, March 8, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that superstar quarterback Russell Wilson had been traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos. This trade came just hours after Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, heavily rumored to be interested in signing with the Broncos himself, signed an extension with his Wisconsin-based team that made him the highest annually paid quarterback in NFL history.
This trade comes one day after the six-year anniversary of legendary quarterback Peyton Manning’s retirement from football. Up until this trade, the Broncos had named a total of 11 players as their starting quarterback since the Hall of Famer retired, including Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, and, most recently, Teddy Bridgewater, to name a few.
In return for Wilson, Seattle got a large assortment of both players and draft picks to help ease the loss of their franchise quarterback of ten seasons. Upon acquiring Wilson and a 4th round draft pick, Denver sent back quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive linemen Shelby Harris as well as two first round draft picks, two second round draft picks, and a fifth round draft pick.
Wilson, 33, is coming off one of his worst statistical seasons with the Seahawks, having thrown for 3113 yards and recording a 54.7 quarterback rating in the 14 games he played last season, both of which were career lows. Moreover, Wilson missed three games in the middle of the season after fracturing a finger on his throwing hand on Oct. 7. He underperformed upon his return to the team, finishing the season with a starting record of 6-8 – the first losing season of his career.
Although his most recent season was lackluster by his standards, Wilson’s career, one that includes two Super Bowl appearances, is incredibly impressive. Wilson brings both veteran and championship experience to his new team, whose average player age was just under 26 this past season.
To this point, Wilson has a career record of 104-53-1 and has thrown for 37,059 yards and 292 touchdowns while having only 87 interceptions. Wilson was named a 2nd Team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2019 and has been voted into the Pro Bowl nine times in his 10-year career.
Statistics and accolades aside, the trait that has defined Wilson the most throughout his career has been his elite scrambling ability outside the pocket. At 5-foot-11, Wilson uses his stout frame and quick agility to buy time from incoming pass rushers and then uses his accurate arm to find an open receiver downfield. While this ability makes Wilson stand out from his peers, it is something he had to do too often last season behind Seattle’s 25th-ranked offensive line.
Wilson is looking to lead the Broncos to a championship during the two years remaining on his contract.