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In trading for Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos gave up two first-rounders, two second-rounders, a fifth-rounder, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive tackle Shelby Harris, and tight end Noah Fant.
The Broncos made an aggressive all-in, win-now play to propel themselves up the standings in an increasingly loaded AFC West.
Skip Bayless, co-host of FS1's Undisputed with Skip and Shannon, believes those efforts will be in vain. According to him, Wilson has already peaked in his career with the Seahawks.
According to Bayless, the amount of hits Wilson has taken during his decade of service in professional football has moved him out of his prime. He is now, Bayless believes, onto the dreaded 'decline' stage of a top athlete's journey:
"Is it possible that Russell Wilson has left his prime because he took too many hits during his prime? He ran with the football too many times and he's built short and stout. But he took a lot of punishment and he endured a lot of injuries, none of which actually cost him time until then. But you just took a beating."
"And I'm talking about body and psyche beating over a period of years. A lot of pressure in Seattle to be the face, the man of that franchise. Is it possible he's just a little burned out on being that guy? Is it possible you're getting, getting him past his prime? That's what I think"
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It's a contentious analysis to write off a quarterback in his 30s because he has been hit too many times. It can be argued that the specific circumstances that Russell Wilson found himself in Seattle were holding him back more so than the physical wear-and-tear he experienced.
Seahawks management wasn't giving Wilson enough input in the offense, treating him as a cog in the machine as opposed to one of its indispensable elements. This led to him walking out of a team meeting towards the end of the 2020 season during a losing streak, after having his ideas dismissed by team officials.
Wilson told Peter King for his latest Football Morning in America column that things are different in Denver under Nathaniel Hackett:
“It’s the ownership of the players owning our own offense. This has to be a player-ran kind of team. Coach Hackett gives us the keys to do that.”
That piece of information is quite relevant for projecting Wilson's 2022 season. In fact, it could be even more so than all of the non-career dehibilitating hits the muscle-bound 5'11" signal-caller has taken.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Undisputed with Skip and Shannon and H/T Sportskeeda
