“I have some concerns” - NFL analyst claims Russell Wilson might be declining already
For Russell Wilson, the worst thing that can happen to his superb skill set is the passage of time. The 33-year-old is still square in what is considered the athletic prime for a quarterback, but his style of play makes him a beast of a different breed altogether.
As a dual-threat who has amassed nearly 4,700 career rushing yards since being drafted in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Wilson's timeline more closely resembles that of a running back than a signal-caller's.
Most rushing yards by a QB since 2019…
Lamar Jackson - 2,978
Kyler Murray - 1,786
Josh Allen - 1,694
Jalen Hurts - 1,138
Russell Wilson - 1,038
Daniel Jones - 1,000
ESPN host Mina Kimes is worried that the nine-time Pro Bowler's career may be winding down, having already surpassed its peak. Kimes believes that the finger injury that slowed him down from Week 5 onward during the 2021 season wasn't the reason why his game declined last season:
“...Think about the last four years of Russell Wilson when he has played at his best, he is one of the best playmakers in football, accuracy to all three levels of field. Amazing! You know, the competitiveness, all of it. However, I have talked about this a bit. I have some concerns about what we've seen, I would say one and a half seasons last year, I know he had the thumb injury, but that didn't look like the problem for me on some of the stuff."
In the end, #Seahawks QB Russell Wilson will have missed 4 weeks but just 3 games with two injuries to his finger. Seattle went 1-2 with Geno Smith, with Wilson set to return against the #Packers as he had planned.
Kimes believes that Father Time could finally be closing in on Wilson:
"And I think I actually have concerns about him aging because of how much of his game is dependent on elusiveness. I talked about this a lot. So I'm still gonna ride with him here. But for me, the aging curve is something that could potentially hit him.”
The Broncos hope Russell Wilson still has some prime years left
Denver's front office is likely praying they didn't just pay for a quarterback reliant on speed and athleticism but is amid a decline this offseason. The Broncos gave up quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive linebacker Shelby Harris, two first-round picks (No. 9 overall from 2022 and one from 2023), two second-round picks (No. 40 overall from 2022 and one from 2023), and a 2022 fifth-round selection in exchange for Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
All that for anything short of a prime Russell Wilson will likely make this deal look like an overpay that fails to get Denver to compete in a shark tank of an AFC West division.