Russell Wilson’s arrival echoes Peyton Manning’s with Broncos
Mar 17, 2022, 6:01 AM
“My goal is to play 10 or 12 more years and hopefully win three or four more Super Bowls. That’s the plan,” new Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson at his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “That’s why I came here — to hopefully be able to finish my career here, and to finish on top as a champion and do it multiple times. That’s my mindset.”
Wilson’s mindset isn’t just admirable; it’s exactly what Broncos fans want to hear after six seasons in the wilderness following Peyton Manning’s retirement after winning Super Bowl 50 as the culmination of the Broncos historic 2015 campaign. Wilson certainly knows that he’s not likely to reach either of those goals, but after the seismic trade that sent him from the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos — one conducted by all parties in impressive secrecy — it doesn’t hurt to dream.
When Manning himself joined the Broncos prior to the 2012 season at 36 years old, and coming off of a career-threatening neck injury and surgery, the hope was that Manning had enough left to lead the Broncos to their third Super Bowl championship, but it certainly wasn’t clear at all at the time whether such lofty dreams could truly be realized.
Wilson looks to follow in Manning’s footsteps in Denver. But to an extent, he already has.
“I got to go to a Peyton Manning camp a long time ago. I was in 10th grade, in Louisiana, and he was my quarterback coach. Him and (Peyton’s brother) Eli,” Wilson explained. “I was able to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and be around them and how he talked about ball and how he saw the game. How he taught me how to do certain things and this and that. So I was always passionate about watching him. I had been around him.”
Wilson was drafted in April of 2012, only a month after Manning signed with the Broncos. As a draft prospect visiting the Broncos, the then-current and future Broncos quarterbacks met once again.
“Ten, 11 years ago, right before the draft, I came here. Actually, it was my last (pre-draft) visit, and the Denver Broncos had just (acquired) Peyton Manning,” Wilson recalled. “I came into the locker room, and there was one guy in a locker — one person. It was Peyton Manning, and he was looking at his playbook, highlighting. I walked up to him, and about halfway before I got to him, he stood up and (asked), ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere?’ He started laughing, shook my hand and said, ‘Listen man, I remember coaching you from way back when.’”
The Broncos instead drafted quarterback Brock Osweiler in the second round (57th overall) in that 2012 draft, while Wilson was selected by the Seahawks in the early third round, only 18 picks later. A mere 22 months after that, Wilson — already a two-time Pro Bowler — led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory… against Manning’s Broncos in Super Bowl 48.
On Wednesday, Wilson was standing where Manning once stood, reinventing himself in similar fashion. Those similarities are almost eerie. Compare where the two men stood in their careers when they chose to don the orange and blue:
— Manning: 13-year veteran at 36 years old, 54,828 yards, 399 touchdowns, 198 interceptions, a career 94.9 quarterback rating, 11 Pro Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl championship
— Wilson: 10-year veteran at 33 years old, 37,059 yards, 292 touchdowns, 87 interceptions, a career 101.8 quarterback rating, nine Pro Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl championship
While Manning was a more-prolific passer, Wilson has been even more efficient. Wilson (65.0 percent) has a slightly better completion percentage then Manning did when he joined the Broncos (64.9), along with a higher percentage of passes thrown for touchdowns (6.2 percent to 5.5), a lower percentage of interceptions thrown (1.8 percent to 2.7), and higher yards per attempt (7.8 to 7.6) and yards per completion (12.0 to 11.7) averages.
Manning was probably a better quarterback when he came to Denver than Wilson, but not by very much — and Wilson’s comparative youth and a lack of any major injuries certainly has to almost even things out, at least when considering each men’s opportunity to claim their second Super Bowl title with the Broncos.
Of course, Manning sealed the deal, crossing the finish line as a champion once again before retiring. That will now be the very high bar that Wilson’s expected to clear. But make no mistake, he’s well aware of the footsteps that he’s now walking in as a Bronco.
“There’s been amazing players here in this organization — some of the greatest of all-time. I know John Elway is in the back. I used to watch him as a young kid. My dad used to always show me clips of him making plays — a two-sport athlete. He was the epitome of a two-sport athlete,” the former Rockies farmhand explained. “You talk about Peyton Manning, arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. Those kinds of memories, it’s an honor. It’s a tradition. It’s a place of excellence, and I think that’s the standard that I have to bring every day. That’s the only thing I know.”
Wilson’s Denver debut was pitch-perfect, touching on the team’s storied history as well as his already detailed study of the Broncos’ current roster — he’s watched every 2021 Broncos game three times already, adding that, “I watched the preseason. I’m a little crazy.”
The unrelenting attention to detail, the consistency of his messaging, and the confidence of a future Hall-of-Famer consistently shone through, and it was easy to recall Manning’s supremely competent and in-control tenure in Denver while listening to Wilson speak. Perhaps Wilson’s story in Denver won’t end like Manning’s, but it’s beginning clearly echoed it over and over again.
“I’m excited about wearing blue and orange. I’m proud to be a Bronco. It’s an honor. It’s a gift,” Wilson said as he finished his statement. “I came here for one reason, and that’s to win. That’s what I believe in. Every day, what you’re going to get from me is that mentality. You’re going to get that juice, that energy, that focus and we’re going to do it all together… That’s what it takes. We’re here for one thing, and that’s to win. That’s to win at the highest level — often — and I’m excited about the journey. Broncos Country, let’s ride.”
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