Ten years after winning the Super Bowl with Seattle, 35 year-old quarterback Russell Wilson is looking at the last chapter of his career. Since the highs of his early NFL days, his reputation has taken a nosedive. At this point, he is viewed by most as a bad teammate who overestimated his position in the hierarchy of both the Seattle and Denver organizations, as well as the hierarchy among the elite quarterbacks of the National Football League. It is debatable how culpable the respective organizations are versus Wilson himself. What we do know is that he faces a critical juncture in his career to determine his legacy. If he can find a decent landing spot after his Denver departure and rehabilitate his image, perhaps we will remember the good more than the bad. If he continues down this complicated and frustrating road of disappointments and drama, there is no doubt history will be more critical of Russell Wilson. The Seattle defense will get more credit for his early career success. We will remember the hilariously bad trade Denver made to acquire him, and that Seattle did not miss a beat replacing him with Geno Smith.
If Russell was wise enough to hire me as his agent, here are the top career options I would present to him. I am assuming here that there will be no viable NFL trade market for Russ and he will be released, like Derek Carr was a year ago.
Hang out with Jon Gruden and Carson Wentz - In this scenario, Russ gets to watch film, pound Red Bulls, shoot the shit, and throw routes to high school players with Gruden and Wentz. Better yet, the three of them could start a podcast and "set the record straight" on what really went down in each of their situations.
Atlanta Falcons - If I'm being serious for a minute, this is the most logical choice for Russ' future. The Falcons have a lot of good pieces in place on offense. The only thing missing is an average starting quarterback. By signing Wilson, the Falcons could solve that problem for two to three years and make more aggressive draft and free agent moves to improve their lackluster defense. The NFC South is the worst division in football right now, so Russ could easily lead this team to a few playoff appearances. The only downside of Russ to Atlanta? He would hear more and possibly see more Future.
New York Yankees - Maybe football has passed Russ by and it's time to switch sports altogether. People forget that he was a decent ballplayer back in the day and used to report to Spring Training. The Yankees are going all-in for 2024, as shown by the blockbuster Juan Soto trade. Russ can step in and be a little-used backup infielder. An added bonus: he is already in compliance with the Yankees' facial hair policy.
Washington Commanders- Wilson was reportedly uninterested in Washington the last time he was seeking a new team. However, the ownership has changed hands and the coaching staff is likely to change this offseason too. Wilson is from the DMV area, so this could be a nice little homecoming. Sam Howell put up some stats this year for the Commanders, but he turns the ball over too much to be a long term starter. Russ could get Washington back in the mix for a wildcard playoff spot.
Be a TV commentator- I could definitely imagine Russ as a commentator for CBS/Fox. I think his personality is well suited for the role. In year one, he could even go the Jay Cutler route and jump at an open starting QB opportunity if someone gets injured in August. Another important piece of this is that he'd have a chance to rehab his image as a commentator. For example, Tony Romo was pretty polarizing as a player. As an announcer, he's raised his likability and popularity tenfold. If Wilson plays it right, he could do the same.
Tampa Bay Bucs- The Bucs, in their current iteration, are going to have to continue to roll the dice on "buy-low" veteran quarterbacks after the end of the Tom Brady era. Baker Mayfield has played way better than anyone expected in 2023, but I wonder if Tampa will consider options with a little more upside this spring. Wilson could be that guy and, again, the NFC South is wide open for the taking.
Kansas City Chiefs- Patrick Mahomes has clearly regressed this season and the Chiefs need to make a change at starting QB. In the 3rd Round of the 2012 Draft, Wilson was taken by Seattle about a dozen picks before Andy Reid's Eagles. The Eagles settled for Nick Foles instead. It's possible Reid was looking at Russ if he'd still been available. With Wilson in KC, the Chiefs could finally win a Super Bowl without the help of the referees. He'd also get to play against Denver twice a year.
Retire and be a full-time dad- Here are some of the other QBs drafted in 2012: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, Brock Osweiler, Nick Foles, Kirk Cousins, and Ryan Lindley. Russ has outlasted almost all of these guys. He is the only one to win a Super Bowl ring as the starter (remember Osweiler in 2015? Wild.) His career credentials, to me, put him as a borderline Hall of Famer. Perhaps the rough events of the past two years have Russ thinking he'd be better off walking away and spending more time with his family. I wouldn't blame him.
Wilson's legacy is going to be a complicated and fascinating one. How will you remember him?
If he retired today, how would you remember Russell Wilson?
0%The guy who failed in Denver and looked bad doing it
0%Decent QB, but Beast Mode and Defense carried him
0%Pete Carroll and Seattle held him back from being great
0%Ciara’s Husband
Comments