"The juice is similar" - Russell Wilson's teammate compares him to NFL legend Peyton Manning

Russell Wilson’s new teammate with the Denver Broncos, wide receiver Cortland Sutton, compared him to another quarterback: Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

In an interview with ESPN, Sutton stated that the juice is similar when it comes to Wilson and Manning:

“His knowledge of the game is to a different level. It comes to him so easy; he wants everyone around him to understand it the way he understands it. . . [But] you all can feel it, we all can feel it, the juice is just different. I wasn’t here when Peyton Manning was here, but everyone who was here when Peyton was said the juice is similar. . . Everyone understands we have to operate at a different level, a different standard.”

Sutton isn’t the only Broncos teammate raving about the nine-time Pro Bowl signal-caller.

Defensive end Randy Gregory noted that Wilson contacted him continuously when he was choosing between staying with the Dallas Cowboys and signing with Denver this offseason:

“I don’t know if it was eight times, but he hit me up a lot. The first night, I was afraid to answer back. There was a lot of uncertainty with everything going on. I woke up the next morning, and the first text I saw was from him again. Then, he sent me another one. I said, 'You know what' — and mind you, he’s FaceTiming me throughout this whole entire process. It’s funny — he was coming from the Children’s Hospital. There’s a certain image he has out in the public. It was funny. I was telling my parents, and I was telling my wife, I was like, ‘He’s literally what he is out in the public.’ He’s coming from a Children’s [Hospital], taking the time to call a guy that he’s trying to bring to the team.”

In the end, Gregory signed a five-year, $70 million-dollar contract with the Broncos, including a $10 million-dollar signing bonus, $28 million guaranteed, and an average yearly salary of $14 million.

Russell Wilson’s NFL career

San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks

Prior to being traded to the Broncos, the 33-year-old spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (37,059) and touchdown passes (292).

In the 2013 season, Wilson led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory in team history in Super Bowl 48.

For Denver, the 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient will be the 12th quarterback to start for the Broncos since Manning.

From leaving the 12th man in Seattle to being the 12th man since Manning, we’ll see how Wilson fares in Denver in the 2022 season.