Ex-Legion of Boom star Richard Sherman warns Russell Wilson his legacy is on the line and it’s not looking good
Russell Wilson had a disappointing first season with the Denver Broncos in 2022 as they finished with a 5-12 record. Wilson is looking to turn it around in season two with the franchise. The nine-time Pro Bowler is hopeful of leading Denver to the playoffs.
A former teammate of the quarterback feels that his legacy is in jeopardy this season. Richard Sherman spoke on Undisputed about Wilson's legacy, saying he can't see him turning it around with the Broncos this season:
"This is his legacy on the line at this point. This point because you gotta ... separate the two times in his career, you want to separate two eras, you want to separate the time where he had the ... Legion of Boom era. So we'll call that the seven years from the 'Russ cook' era from 17 to 21, when he leaves Seattle.
"Then you got this era in Denver, where he has a chance to cement his legacy in the biggest way. You're in a tough division, Justin Herbert's in that division, Mahomes, Super Bowl champions in that division, and you have to find a way to win…"
Sherman concluded:
"They have a great team but I just don't see Sean Payton being able to turn this around for him with those problems, with all these obstacles."
Denver gave the star quarterback a $242.5 million contract extension last September, nearly six months after trading for him.
The 2022 season saw a career low in completion percentage and touchdowns for Russell Wilson who tied for the third-most interceptions in his NFL career.
Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman as teammates
Russell Wilson and Sherman were teammates for six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (2012-2017). In that stretch, Seattle made it to playoffs in five out of six seasons, winning the Super Bowl in the 2013 season. The Seahawks finished in the top two of the NFC West during that period.
Last September, Sherman alluded to his time with Wilson while speaking with another former Seahawks teammate, linebacker K.J. Wright, on his eponymous podcast. Sherman mentioned how the quarterback wasn't held accountable with the team:
"But there wasn’t enough years' difference for the accountability thing to be like that. Well, he was young. It’s like, well, he’s like a year younger than us. He ain’t that young. When you got 52 guys being held to a certain standard and you got one guy not being held to the standard, then it’s gonna cause some friction."
Despite the success, it seems that Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson aren't on the best of terms. We'll see if Wilson can save his legacy under Sean Payton in the upcoming season.