Russell Wilson comes clean on his thoughts about not starting for Broncos despite clearing concussion protocol
Russell Wilson is no doubt having the worst season of his NFL career. Last week, he suffered a concussion and was taken out of the game. The star quarterback was able to return to the practice field this week and cleared the National Football League's concussion protocols.
Yet, he won't be starting against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Brett Rypien will get the start for the Broncos.
The Super Bowl champion was traded to the Denver Broncos this past offseason and there were high hopes from the Broncos Nation that he was the answer to their problems.
Heading into Week 15 of the season, the Broncos are currently at the bottom of the AFC West division rankings with a 3-10 record.
Wilson spoke to the media on Saturday afternoon about the Broncos' decision to start Rypien even though he had cleared concussion protocol. He said that while he feels great, the Broncos wanted to give him more time to fully heal before rushing him back out onto the field.
"Yeah, you know, obviously, we had an innocent last week. And you know, I thought the training staff and everybody did a great job. Went through all of the testing and all of the protocols stuff, did a great job through it all. Went through flying colors, everything went great and practice, I got to practice this week. But they wanted, you know, to give me another week to just recover and all of that."
Russell Wilson went on to say that he is an 'old school quarterback' in the theory that he believes he should always be on the field, no matter the circumstances.
"Obviously, for me, I always want to be out on the field. I believe in competing and being out there on the field, no matter the circumstances are. I'm an old school quarterback in that sense, that you gotta be out there."
Russel Wilson on passing the concussion protocol but the Broncos organization holding him back and not having him play this week. https://t.co/gNjPH3mKj9
"But, at the same time, um, it was a collective decision by the organization that they wanted to give me some extra rest. I think Ryp's going to rock and roll and our team and our guys had a great week of practice. It was good to be out there to practice and everyday you get to be out there to practice, you enjoy it. But I'm going to do everything I can during the game on the sideline, in the locker room, to make sure we get a win."
Wilson then went on to say that he appreciates the extra time that the Broncos are giving him to rest. The star QB added that he will do everything he can to support the team and help them get a win. Wilson added that he knows Rypien is prepared and ready to play.
Russell Wilson's passer rating takes a hit in disappointing season
Up until his trade to the Denver Broncos, quarterback Russell Wilson was seen as one of the best in the National Football League. He is a Super Bowl winner and was a clear favorite for a league MVP award, an honor he has never won.
Brock Purdy already has 2 starts this season with a 115+ Passer Rating.
That's more than:
Dak Prescott (1)
Justin Herbert (1)
Derek Carr (1)
Russell Wilson (1)
Tom Brady (0) https://t.co/SpKlslDLC2
However, the 2022 NFL season has been disappointing for Russell Wilson. Not only has his team already been eliminated from the playoffs, but his career passer rating has taken a huge dip.
Entering the season, it was 103.1 and now sits at 85.0. That is the fourth-largest decline by a quarterback in the first year with a new team in NFL history.
The Broncos are averaging only 14 points per game, which is the worst by any NFL offense this season. Russell Wilson has been at the midst of their problems in offense.