The Denver Broncos gave up a pretty big haul to get Seattle Seahawks star signal-caller Russell Wilson in an offseason trade. The move is one many believe will propel the Broncos to success they haven’t tasted since Peyton Manning was the quarterback from 2012-15, culminating in a Super Bowl win.
Since then the Broncos have endured multiple losing seasons and eleven different starting quarterbacks.
Now, with Wilson in tow, the hope and belief is the Broncos are ready to contend. For Wilson, the pressure will be on, as the last two star QBs (Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford) to change teams this far into their careers both won Super Bowls in their first season.
The official blockbuster 🚨 trade between #Seahawks and #Broncos #BroncosCountry
Seahawks trade:
◆ QB Russell Wilson
◆ 4th-round pickBroncos trade:
◆ QB Drew Lock
◆ TE Noah Fant
◆ DL Shelby Harris
◆ Two 1st-round picks
◆ Two 2nd-round picks
◆ 5th-round pick pic.twitter.com/aokeau30F3— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) March 8, 2022
FS1 personality Joy Taylor (The Herd), recently spoke of the pressure Wilson faces to perform and lead the Broncos.
“High pressure, you could argue the highest amount of pressure. Because the last two big-time quarterbacks to move, as you mentioned earlier, Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady, switched teams deep into their careers and won Super Bowls in their first year with the new team.”
Taylor continued …
“Now, I don’t expect that with the Broncos, I didn’t expect it with either of those players either. But you know, they have a new coach, as well. It’s Russell Wilson. He’s forced his way out of Seattle.
“He’s a future Hall of Famer ,and I think a lot of people feel like he probably needs another Super Bowl. The Broncos have been a quarterback away for a while. There’s a lot of pressure on Russell Wilson this year.”
Wilson Winning A Super Bowl In Denver Is Far-Fetched: Or Is It?
While the Broncos have a better roster than the Seahawks did, that doesn’t automatically equate to success for them. First of all, the AFC West division features four legit teams that could win the division and make the playoffs.
The Chiefs have been to four consecutive AFC Championship games, won a Super Bowl and played in two total Super Bowls. The Raiders made the playoffs this past season and added wide receiver Davante Adams and edge rusher Chandler Jones.
The Chargers, with rising quarterback Justin Herbert and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack in the fold, will be formidable. That’s just the Broncos’ division.
The rest of the AFC presents challenges as well with the Bills, Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Patriots, Dolphins, Titans, Browns and Steelers all being playoff contenders. To say Wilson has his work cut out for him is understatement.
And as Taylor mentioned, it’s a whole new system, QB and head coach in the Mile High City, and those things will make it tough for the Broncos to do what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams did in Brady and Stafford’s first seasons in new places.
Wilson Wanted Out Of Seattle For A While
Wilson leaving Seattle was inevitable. The last few seasons of his tenure were rife with unrest about the roster makeup and head coach Pete Carroll’s unwillingness to change his offensive philosophy. Although Wilson was allowed to play more of the style he wanted to play, it was out of necessity rather than actual scheme.
Wilson even suffered the first serious injury of his career last season, which caused him to miss games and killed any hopes of the Seahawks making the postseason.
He finished his Seahawks career 104-53-1 as the starter. RW3 passed for over 37,000 yards, 292 touchdowns and just 87 interceptions, with eight playoff appearances in 10 seasons, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win.
The Broncos hope he brings some of that “Let Russ Cook” dynamic to Denver, because they sure do need it, but the road to the Super Bowl will be tough.
