Getty Russell Wilson at practice.
There’s always been mixed opinions surrounding newly acquired Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.
NFL Network’s Jim Trotter praised Wilson by saying, “Russ has a tremendous ego.”
This comes after Trotter talked about how Wilson doesn’t necessarily get a lot of credit for appearing in two Super Bowls and winning one while with the Seattle Seahawks.
“Those were credited to the defense, to the Legion of Boom. He was seen more as a game manager more than anything in those games,” Trotter added when referring to Wilson’s two Super Bowl appearances, in 2014 and 2015.
In each Super Bowl, Wilson didn’t complete more than 18 passes or pass for more than 250 yards, but he did throw two touchdowns in each game.
In the 2015 Super Bowl, he threw one interception that turned into the most important play of the game, a short pass picked off by Malcolm Butler at the New England Patriots’ goal line with 26 seconds left in the game and the Seahawks trailing 28-24.
But in the 2014 Super Bowl, Wilson didn’t need to be great. Seattle’s defense shut down Peyton Manning, who had just wrapped up a record-breaking season, and forced four turnovers, giving up just eight points to the Denver Broncos in the Seahawks’ 43-8 win.
Wilson Explained What Makes a Super Bowl Winning Team
After Wilson’s first training camp practice as a member of the Broncos, the future Hall of Famer was asked what makes a championship team.
The first characteristic Wilson mentioned was talent. “We got a lot of talent,” Wilson said on July 27, noting the depth on Denver’s roster.
The second characteristic that a championship team needs is knowledge of the game. “Our knowledge of the game is just so far along,” he said, discussing the experience Denver players on both sides of the ball have.
He explained how the Broncos receivers “sit in front of the room and take notes.” He singled out third-year receiver Jerry Jeudy with an anecdote. “Jerry Jeudy was in our QB meeting for an hour just for fun, just to listen, just to study and to understand it all.”
The final thing Wilson mentioned was vision. “Everyone wants to do big things and everything else, but vision is great, but if you don’t have execution as well, so the balance of those two is key,” he said.
Wilson added that his sole focus was “winning a Super Bowl for the Broncos and more.” If he can win another Super Bowl, he would join the two quarterbacks he faced in his two Super Bowls — Brady and Manning — as the only quarterbacks to win a ring with two different franchises as the starting quarterback.
Wilson Wants to Be in Denver Long Term
Wilson has one year left on the contract he signed with the Seahawks. He’ll make $27 million this year and is rumored to want a five-year, $250 million extension. However, when asked about an extension, especially in relation to the one that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray signed and the one Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to get, Wilson said: “I don’t worry about those guys and what they’re doing,” Wilson said. “It has nothing really to do with me. I’m excited to be here. I know I want to be here a long, long time.”
Before the start of camp, Broncos general manager George Paton said he hoped the team and Wilson would agree to a deal “at the right time.”
“We all want Russell here a long time,” Paton said on July 26. “I appreciate the question. Out of respect for his team and our team, we’re going to keep it in house.”