By adding Russell Wilson, Broncos would bring in proven Super Bowl-winning quarterback
READ MORE
Seahawks trading Russell Wilson
The Seahawks have agreeing to trade franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for multiple first-round draft choices and additional players and picks.
Expand All
For the past several seasons, the Denver Broncos have searched, without much success, to find the right fit at quarterback.
Now, it appears they might have found an answer in nine-time Pro Bowl passer and Super Bowl XLVIII champion Russell Wilson.
Late Tuesday morning, multiple national NFL insiders reported Wilson, who has spent the entirety of his storied, decade-long career with the Seattle Seahawks, is expected to head to Denver in a blockbuster trade.
Per NFL Network and ESPN, the reported deal would send Wilson and a fourth-round draft pick to the Broncos, while the Seahawks would receive quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris, as well as five draft picks, including two first-rounders in return.
The trade has not yet been confirmed by either team.
Should Wilson indeed join Denver, his addition would give the Broncos a proven championship-winning passer as they look to return to contention.
Peyton Manning, in his final season, guided Denver to a Super Bowl win in 2015. The only other Broncos quarterback to reach that height with Denver, of course, is John Elway, who led Denver to back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1997, and is now Denver’s president of football operations.
Wilson, who has guided the Seahawks to the postseason in eight of his 10 seasons, would give the franchise immediate hope for another memorable run.
Denver hasn’t been to the playoffs since that Manning-led championship team in 2015. In the six seasons since, the Broncos have started 10 different quarterbacks and never found much consistency.
Former seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian was the starter the following season before he was injured late and replaced by Denver’s first-round pick that year in Paxton Lynch.
Siemian started much of the 2017 season, though Lynch, after returning from an injury and former Broncos second-rounder Brock Osweiler, in his second stint in Denver, also started multiple games.
The 2018 season was the only season in that stretch Denver started only one quarterback, after signing Case Keenum to a two-year deal, but the Broncos fell short of the postseason again. Keenum was traded the following season to Washington.
Joe Flacco then signed with Denver ahead of the 2019 season, but he was injured midway through, with second-round pick Lock and waiver claim Brandon Allen starting Denver’s final eight games.
Lock was the primary quarterback the following season, but backups Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien also started games.
The Broncos acquired Teddy Bridgewater in a trade with the Jets last spring, and he beat out Lock for the starting job, but an injury ended his season early, and Lock started the last three games.
Adding Wilson — who had the longest active starting streak at quarterback before his finger injury last October at 165 games between the regular and postseasons from 2012-21 — would surely stabilize the Broncos at a position that has been a revolving door in recent seasons.
Wilson has completed 65 percent of his passes for 37,059 yards and 292 touchdowns to his 87 interceptions in 158 regular season games during his career. He’s rushed for another 4,689 yards and 23 scores. His winning percentage in those games is 65.8 percent.
He also led the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances at the end of the 2013 and 2014 seasons — including the win over the Broncos in his first championship appearance, delivering Seattle its first Super Bowl — and has played in 16 postseason games while completing 61 percent of passes for 3,786 yards and 25 touchdowns.
In Denver, Wilson would join an offense that includes a trio of young receivers in former second-round pick and fifth-year receiver Courtland Sutton (team-leading 58 catches, 776 yards, 2 TDs in 2021), sixth-year receiver Tim Patrick (53 catches, 734 yards, 5 TDs) and 2020 first-round pick Jerry Jeudy (38 catches, 467 yards in 10 games), as well as that year’s fourth-round pick in tight end Albert Okwuegbunam (33 catches, 330 yards, 2 TDs in 14 games).
Denver finished the 2021 season ranked 19th in the NFL in total offense (330.5 yards per game) — just ahead of a Seahawks team (323.9) missing Wilson for three games — 19th in passing (211.4) and 23rd in scoring offense (19.7).
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 1:12 PM with the headline "By adding Russell Wilson, Broncos would bring in proven Super Bowl-winning quarterback."
