Jim Mora came to mind when I read Russell Wilson's comments Sunday.
You remember the old Colts coach, who responded with the following when asked about his team reaching the playoffs after a loss to the 49ers.
"Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game."
So when Wilson remarked that he wanted to win two more Super Bowls in the next five years, I had a Mora-like reaction.
Super Bowl? Really? Is Russ even going to start another game?
That isn't written with intent to pick on the former Seahawks quarterback. He has always been an incessant optimist, and chasing lofty expectations is a prerequisite for greatness. But we're talking about a man who was benched at the end of last season despite his Broncos being (barely) alive in the postseason hunt. Is Wilson still capable of leading a team to a winning record — let alone a title — as QB1?
His numbers last season weren't atrocious, after all. The traditional ones actually looked pretty good.
Wilson's 98.0 passer rating was sixth among quarterbacks who played at least 10 games. He completed 66.4% of his passes, which is nearly two points better than his career average, and he had 26 touchdown passes against eight interceptions.
But he didn't throw often — averaging just 204 passing yards per game. And his QBR — a more measured statistic that takes into account sacks (he took 45) and fumbles (he had 10) — was 21st in the league.
Above all, though, he didn't win — going just 7-8 as a starter. He was 4-11 the season before, and when you're a sub-6-footer who made his mark — in part, at least — as one of football's all-time great scramblers, the odds of a renaissance at 35 years old are low.
Wilson's benching wasn't purely performance-based. It was done to keep him healthy so that the Broncos wouldn't have to pay him the $37 million that would become fully guaranteed if he got hurt.
He said they threatened to sit him earlier if he didn't take the injury clause out of his contract — and yet stated publicly that he still wants to be in Denver. It's fair to wonder if he really means that, but his future has emerged as one of this offseason's most intriguing storylines.
The Broncos haven't cut him yet, but there's a good chance they will in March before Wilson's 2024 salary becomes fully guaranteed. It was less than two years ago that the Denver brass gave up a haul of draft picks, including a pair of first- and second-round picks, to Seattle to get him before signing Russell to a five-year, $245 million extension.
There was plenty of reason to wonder if the Broncos got fleeced before Wilson ever took a snap for them. But a downturn of this magnitude seemed unthinkable.
Still, NFL QB may be the most difficult job in professional sports. And despite his shortcomings over the past two seasons, Wilson is part of a very short list of active players who have proved they can do it effectively.
So given all the money he has made in his career (this was his third nine-figure contract), might it be possible he plays for the league minimum — or something close to it — and chases a championship somewhere else? Is there a Russell Wilson redemption arc in the making?
Wilson's Q&A with reporters following his benching was perhaps the most authentic we've seen him in 10 years. It was the culmination of the two most trying seasons of his career, and his frustration was palpable.
The boos Wilson endured when he came back to Seattle to open the 2022 season were earned. Fans felt they had been betrayed by a phony. But those same fans can be forgiving of a man who A) helped bring Seattle a Super Bowl and B) has taken his lumps.
I don't see Wilson ever being a top-tier quarterback getting MVP consideration again. That maddening mobility just isn't there anymore. But he is still capable, and still possesses one of the best deep balls in the game. It's difficult to compete for a championship without a Pro Bowl-level quarterback — but not impossible. Get the right defense around Wilson and you never know.
Not many people envisioned Baker Mayfield leading a playoff run with the Bucs this year. Just like not many envisioned Geno Smith earning a Pro Bowl nod after spending seven years on the bench.
The NFL is never short on surprises — and maybe, just maybe, Wilson has one more in him.
