Some Broncos opponents roasted Russell Wilson in their schedule-release videos

Broncos QB Russell Wilson remains an easy target, and NFL teams’ social-media squads fired away Thursday.

The annual release of the NFL schedule has become a high-water mark for teams’ increasingly bulbous creative and media departments. Some teams try to be clever. A few dive into pop culture, like the Broncos in their parody of The Office. Others salute their home regions. Some even strip down the entire process, turn on the camera and let hilarity happen.

Looking at you, Tennessee Titans. They won the day with their person-on-the-street interviews from football-clueless patrons along Broadway in downtown Nashville.

We asked people on Broadway to help us with our 2023 schedule release. 🤣

📺: 2023 Schedule Release on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/31LsUUDn3O

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) May 12, 2023

But by and large, the most common tactic involves tweaking your foes in some way.

And when it comes to the Broncos, no player proved a more inviting target than Russell Wilson.

Of the 14 teams with the Broncos on their regular-season schedules, nine steered clear of tweaking the embattled quarterback. But the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns all fired away.

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Leading off is the Patriots, who used the recently retired Devin McCourty as a star attraction … but left him taken aback as he watched the infamous “here comes the airplane” clip of Russell Wilson’s Subway commercial. The tweak of Wilson begins 36 seconds into the video.

Welcome to the Patriots retirement house, @devinmccourty. pic.twitter.com/DKPmnDezWA

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 12, 2023

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Next up is the Los Angeles Chargers, who went back to the anime well for their schedule-release video. In promoting the Broncos’ trip to SoFi Stadium for a Dec. 10 game, they harkened back to the Broncos’ last game at that venue — which included Patrick Star of SpongeBob SquarePants — voiced by actor Bill Fagerbakke, who once played a football coach on the 1990s sitcom Coach, exclaiming, “That’s not what he wanted to cook!”

So, the Chargers have the cartoon starfish and Wilson — brandishing a spatula.

But there’s more for the Week 17 rematch in Denver. An anthropomorphic horse wearing a cap with “Sean” on it stands in an office with a “Let’s Ride” sign and a copy of “Modern Bathroom Monthly.” And of course, the sign reads, “Russ Personal Office.”

The clips are 1:25 and 1:43 into the video.

should we REALLY make our schedule release video an anime AGAIN?

yes yes yesyes
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yes yes yes yes yes
yes yesyes yes yes
yes yesye yes yes
yes yes yesyes pic.twitter.com/z7qyNGyWHp

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 12, 2023

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On to the Detroit Lions. They leaned into AI for their video — and when it came time for the Broncos, the voice-over of an interception in Madden did the work, beginning at 3:41.

“Speaking of houses, do you know many bathrooms Russ has inside his?” asks the AI version of Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. After an on-screen nod to Patrick Star, the AI iteration of Dan Campbell says, “Let’s ride.”

Grab the sticks, it’s time to play! 🎮 🏈 @ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/1VsJ5XY83h

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) May 12, 2023

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Then comes Cleveland. The Browns went for a laborious pro-wrestling schtick that utilizes mascot Brownie the Elf. But it grows tiresome quickly. So, just fast-forward to 2:09, when the Broncos’ wrestler — “Brojack Horsefan” — is mocked with a, “Broncos Country, let’s ride!” before taking a football to the face.

14 challengers enter, 1 elf remains

This is #DawgPound Wrestling pic.twitter.com/J3MQWLmCc9

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) May 12, 2023

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Finally, the Green Bay Packers kept it simple. They turned their schedule-release video into a homage to the overcaffeinated sales-pitch ads of the 1980s or 1990s. You can almost see the Ginsu knife chopping through a can.

“Denver Broncos! Giddy-up! Let’s ride into Denver for this one!”

This is the most benign of the clips tweaking the Orange and Blue. The Broncos segment is at 55 seconds.

It's the 🔥hot🔥 new item everyone is talking about‼️

The 2023 #Packers schedule is here 📆: https://t.co/11LbDm9kMY

📺 𝘼𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙑! 📺 pic.twitter.com/pXQzgMP9ps

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 12, 2023

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Of course, there’s one way to make all the noise stop. And if Wilson’s 2022 was a temporary dip and not a decline, next year’s videos might avoid taking the potshots, since he would re-establish his place among the game’s better QBs.

Want the chatter to stop? It’s all in No. 3’s hands to do it.

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Follow @MaseDenver