Russell Wilson is one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation. He should go down as a Hall of Fame player for what he achieved with the Seattle Seahawks — winning a Super Bowl, going to another, and carrying them to the playoffs consistently for six years.
And while he’s shown that he’s still capable of great play, it’s time for him to hang up his cleats. Having watched Wilson extremely closely throughout his career in the NFL, it’s not an unfair argument to point out that the skills that made him great are just not there for him anymore.
While he was never the kind of quarterback who relied on elite athleticism in the open field, Wilson has always been at his best when the play has broken down. Teams, quite rightly, feared when Wilson escaped from pressure and looked to throw downfield, being arguably the greatest-ever deep ball thrower the sport has ever seen. Even in his performance for the New York Giants in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys last year, he showed he’s still got that deep ball in his locker.
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But unfortunately for Wilson, that elusiveness he once possessed is just not there anymore.
Even during his latter years with the Seahawks, early signs were there that he may fall off sooner than some would have expected.
Wilson has always had a bad habit of stepping back into the pocket, looking to spin away from pressure and make something happen out of nothing. Now he’s lost the ability to do that, being much slower and less agile than he once was, and he’s had to rely on being a pocket-passer.
Wilson was benched after just three games for the Giants -Credit:Getty Images
Unfortunately, that kind of style has just never been his game. When asked to operate as a point guard, playing on time and getting the ball where it needs to be, Wilson has struggled.
Like a running back who looks to score on every touch, Wilson too often looks for the big play — something which really hurt him during his time as a Pittsburgh Steeler — before seeing him quickly lose his job as the Giants starting quarterback.
One of the main reasons he struggles in the pocket is due to his size. Wilson cannot operate as a pocket passer as he struggles to see over the offensive line, meaning he rarely throws over the middle of the field.
That saw him become reliant on his deep passing game, something the likes of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Doug Baldwin, and Jimmy Graham all benefited from.
Without the capabilities of escaping from pressure, nor being able to throw over the middle of the field, Wilson is now overly reliant on the deep ball.
Wilson won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks -Credit:Getty
Whilst it’s an offense that can work, with a strong running game and offensive line, too many teams have better options available to them.
All the starting quarterback jobs are taken. If anything, Wilson is almost set to be a backup for the 2026 season — if he even lands that.
At this point in his career, is he really going to win a Super Bowl? Is he ever going to lead an offense to a win over the better defenses in the NFL?
Wilson reportedly has TV offers open to him, where he could be an analyst after impressing in that role last season.
From 2015 through to 2020, a strong case could be made that Wilson was the best quarterback in the NFL.
He absolutely carried the Seahawks in the post-Legion of Boom era, when the defense struggled for many years, angering fans with Pete Carroll.
Wilson should be remembered as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time -Credit:Getty
For many years, fans felt Wilson was held back, being in a run-first offense that rarely allowed him to do his thing on third down.
When given the opportunity to regularly throw the ball, Wilson dominated. He could have easily won the MVP award in 2015, 2018, and 2020 — history would look back at him very differently if not for historic Cam Newton, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers seasons in those years.
Ever since 2021, he has just not been the same quarterback. Unfortunately, those days of him single-handedly leading teams to victories are over.
If the reported CBS offers are true, Wilson should accept them, while looking back at his career proudly as one of the greatest to ever do it — paving the way for smaller quarterbacks, all while being a model citizen and extraordinary leader.
