Russell Wilson is looking to redefine himself late in his career after a massive fall from grace during his two-year stint with the Denver Broncos. He once looked to be on track for an eventual Hall of Fame induction, but his 11-19 record with the Broncos has left a distinct blemish on his resume. He would still have a chance to make the cut if he retired today. Had he retired two years ago, those chances might have been better.
Rich Eisen spoke about a best-case scenario for Wilson during The Rich Eisen Show today, and thinks that Wilson realizes this is his last chance to get things back on track.
“The opportunity that he got is one that I didn’t think he was gonna get. Which was the Pittsburgh Steelers raising their hand and basically inserting him into a situation where [as if] he had been there for eight years, not like eight days,” Eisen said in a clip from his podcast posted on Youtube. “And what he has done is realize this potential last best chance to be a starting quarterback in this league with a real shot to go to a Super Bowl and breathe life back into a Hall of Fame trajectory.”
Eisen doesn’t necessarily have any first-hand information to Wilson’s mentality, but he is reading between the lines on the work that Wilson has put in since mandatory minicamp broke. While some players are off on exotic vacations or otherwise getting some rest and relaxation, Wilson has remained hard at work preparing himself for the season ahead. Especially at 35 years old, some veterans could get by without their foot fully on the gas pedal during this portion of the offseason. Wilson’s dedication is admirable.
Just this week, he was spotted running sprints at the UCLA practice field, training in a boxing ring and throwing to his former teammate, WR DK Metcalf. Those sure seem like the actions of a player who knows he has a lot on the line with a great opportunity ahead of him.
According to Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame monitor, Wilson already has a solid case for an eventual enshrinement. With an 88.37 score on their scale, he is just behind Kurt Warner, Dan Fouts, Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw. All four of those players are already enshrined. He is just ahead of Eli Manning, Ken Anderson and Ken Stabler. Stabler is already in, Manning has a good chance and Anderson is not. Wilson is right on the cusp, and another solid season or two could punch his ticket.
