Russell Wilson after one year: Ten dates that got the Broncos and Wilson to this point

Three-hundred-and-sixty-five days ago, where did you think the Broncos would be now?

Storming into the offseason off of their first playoff appearance since Super Bowl 50? Blessed with promise after a season that showed their post-Peyton Manning QB quandary was solved?

Some might say that they knew all along that the Russell Wilson trade wouldn’t work out in the Broncos’ favor. But at this time a year ago, praise for the deal in Broncos Country was virtually universal.

So … how and why did it all go so wrong? And what were the key moments that led to where the Broncos stand — emerging from a franchise-record 12 defeats with a new coach who cost them a first-round pick to obtain?

A few key dates show how Wilson’s first year went follow.

(And note … this is about things that MATTER. So, I’m not discussing high-knee lunges in airplane aisles and I’ll largely stay away from social-media posts. There’s plenty of actual football stuff on which to reflect.)

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MARCH 16: UNBRIDLED ENTHUSIASM

There’s nothing wrong with that, in and of itself. But when Nathaniel Hackett strode to the lectern and sounded more like a fan and less like a head coach, a die was cast.

Nathaniel Hackett: “WOW! Come on, you all, Russell Wilson!"

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 16, 2022

Sean Payton will likely strike a different tone. No doubt, they will have plenty of conversations. And one doubts that their dinner in Arizona during Super Bowl week will be their last shared meal. But it seems unlikely that coach and quarterback will share a vacation, as Wilson and Hackett did during time together in London last summer.

As I wrote on Dec. 26, “The Broncos didn’t need a buddy for Wilson. They needed a boss.”

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JUNE 1: MORE THAN THEY COULD CHEW?

On this day during OTAs, WR Tim Patrick met media. The primary topic was obvious: football life with Wilson and how everything had changed.

But Patrick’s sentiments offered a hint that in trying to meld a scheme of Hackett’s concepts and Wilson’s preferences, the team might have asked its players to bite off more than they could chew.

“The offense is difficult,” Patrick said then. “Just the regular, routine practice is not going to be enough to get it down pat, so, we have to do things on our own so we can get it.

“We don’t want to be one of those teams to make excuses. New coach, new quarterback, and we don’t get going until the end of the year. We want to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders, because it’s Super Bowl or bust this year.”

As it turned out, it was bust. In a big way.

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AUG. 2: LOSING TIM PATRICK

Training camp was a struggle for the offense and Wilson. Collectively, they looked disjointed. There were sparks of brilliance, but twice as many moments in which the defense dominated. Still, we’d seen this sort of thing from Manning’s camps, too. It can be hard to discern whether those types of days are a result of lousy offense or grate defense.

But there was no question that Patrick had become Wilson’s most trusted receiving target. So, when he crumpled to the ground with a torn ACL, the dynamic of Denver’s offense changed.

“Losing him, I don’t think a lot of people understand how huge that was, because he was the glue to that offense,” defensive lineman DeShawn Williams reflected after the season.

“A lot of people don’t understand: Tim makes everything go,” Williams said. “He has that defensive mindset going on on offense. And everybody gravitates to it.

“… Tim brings that aggressor, that alpha, that ‘you can yell at us and we go out there and prove you wrong’ type of attitude. And he brings that.”

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SEP. 1: THE NEW CONTRACT

Wilson signing an 5-year extension that could be worth up to $245 million isn’t a reason why things devolved in and of itself. But the contract looms over everything going forward.

The terms of the contract also make this year crucial. If he is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2024 league year, his 2025 base salary of $37 million becomes guaranteed. So, if Wilson has a 2023 that looks much like his 2022, the Broncos could be forced into a decision that leaves $85 million of dead money spread over 2024 and 2025 — but prevents more money being added to it.

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OCT. 6: TWO BAD DECISIONS

Early struggles could be chalked up to a new scheme, new teammates and a general-settling in process. And heading into Week 5, the Broncos were 2-2. Further, Wilson looked like himself in a loss at Las Vegas four days earlier; the difference in that game was a scoop-and-score off of a Melvin Gordon fumble.

But in a turgid overtime loss to Indianapolis, Wilson looked like he lost the plot — especially late — with two bad decisions.

The first resulted in a Stephon Gilmore end-zone interception. It wasn’t the throw itself that was bad, as much as the decision relative to game situation: The Broncos led 9-6 with 2:19 left, had third-and-4 at the Indianapolis 13-yard line — and the Colts had no timeouts remaining.

Try to pass for a first down, fine. But there was no reason to go for the end zone there. Get merely 5 yards, and the Broncos could kneel out the game. A touchdown actually would extend the competitive phase of the game. But with that playcall and pass, Hackett and Wilson went for it all. The revived Colts drove to a game-tying field goal as regulation ended.

Indianapolis won the overtime coin toss and took a 12-9 lead on its first series against a fatigued Denver defense. But the Broncos responded, and had first-and-10 at the Colts 14 a moment later. After three runs, Denver went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Indianapolis 5. But instead of running — or throwing to an open K.J. Hamler — Wilson looked for Courtland Sutton in tight coverage. Gilmore broke up the pass, and the Broncos dropped below .500 — where they would stay the rest of the season.

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NOV. 27: TEMPERS BOIL OVER

Mike Purcell downplayed it. So did Hackett and Wilson. But it was impossible to ignore the visual of the veteran nose tackle shouting at the QB in the midst of a tepid Broncos performance as the Carolina Panthers throttled the Broncos in a not-as-close-as-the-score-would-indicate 23-10 humbling in Charlotte.

Mike Purcell had some words for Russell Wilson has he returned to the Broncos sideline pic.twitter.com/FL6RaFwAT8

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 27, 2022

Purcell barked fire as he returned to the Broncos sideline following a Carolina field goal — a play that saw him flagged for unnecessary roughness.

Mike Purcell, on what led to the heated moment with Russell Wilson on the sideline: “Frustration. We want a spark on something. We are all in this together, period.” pic.twitter.com/3Xa6YDlWyr

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 27, 2022

 

“Frustration. We want a spark on something. We’re all in this together, period,” Purcell said. “… Gotta get a spark somewhere. They were about to take the field. That’s all it was.”

And a few feet away, Hackett didn’t react. It encapsulated the season.

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DEC. 25: THE TEAM-WIDE MELTDOWN

A fight on the sideline. Randy Gregory getting into a fracas during post-game handshakes. And a defensive effort that saw the Broncos fail to force a punt for the first time in a half-century. Denver’s 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was its most embarrassing defeat in at least a dozen years.

But Wilson had a role, too. Returning to the lineup after the Broncos shelved him a week earlier due to a concussion, he threw interceptions on consecutive first-quarter plays. Los Angeles cashed in for short-field touchdowns each time. Denver trailed 17-0 before Wilson completed a pass.

And as the cherry on the foul sundae, Wilson got roasted by a dim-witted cartoon starfish.

Patrick Star really has a future as a play-by-play announcer. 🤩

📺: #DENvsLAR on @Nickelodeon
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/65Zxrbz4lT

— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2022

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DEC. 26: JERRY ROSBURG TAKES OVER

The hope for Wilson’s future started on Boxing Day.

Not when Payton took over as head coach. Not when people got a glimpse at an apparently-slimmer Wilson on social media. But it was here, when Rosburg took the reins from the deposed Hackett, gave Justin Outten the offensive play-calling responsibilities and changed the offensive emphasis.

And for the next two games, Wilson looked like his old self. The quarterback who accounted for a meager 1.0 total touchdowns per game in Hackett’s stewardship tripled that rate with Rosburg and Outten at the wheel. He ran for 2 touchdowns and passed for 4 in the final fortnight. His passer rating was 96.5 with Rosburg; it was 80.7 with Hackett.

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DEC. 29: TEAMMATES DEFEND WILSON

It started with WR Jerry Jeudy. Others followed. And finally, Rosburg joined them with a forceful statement at his press conference a day later.

Jerry Rosburg called Jerry Jeudy “my hero” for defending Russell Wilson on social media Thursday.

“Yes. Straight out, yes. Because there's — I have to mind my vocabulary here — there's a lot of crap out there that at any point in time — & we've all been criticized before…” pic.twitter.com/IX819UWP73

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 30, 2022

Was it orchestrated? Perhaps. But it was the most concerted effort yet to show that Wilson still had the team. And although the Broncos lost three days later at Kansas City, they played much better with an altered game plan. Wilson looked like his old self.

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FEB. 6: PAYTON IN; TEAM RUSS OUT

Among everything said by Payton during an expansive press conference announcing his arrival as Broncos coach, nothing seized the news cycle more than his off-podium comments about the nearly-unfettered access Wilson’s support staff had to the inner sanctum of UCHealth Training Center — which included personal QB coach Jake Heaps being able to watch closed practices.

That ended.

Full answer from Sean Payton to @DMacRadio on Russell Wilson having his own coaches/staff around: “That’s foreign to me. That’s not going to take place here. I’m unfamiliar with it, but our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’ll be it.”

pic.twitter.com/NXYiRi36L9

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 6, 2023

“That’s foreign to me. That’s not going to take place here,” Payton said. “I’m unfamiliar with it, but our staff will be here, our players will be here and that’ll be it.”

And with that, Year One of Wilson’s second act ended. And now, Wilson must adapt to what Payton wants … or his Broncos tenure won’t see anything close to to the five years on his contract.

It’s impossible to envision a more eventual first year for a quarterback.

Denver’s hopes for Year Two rest on it looking more like a normal Wilson year … and not the tornado of woe that was the last 12 months.

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