I was standing next to a colleague in the Lumen Field press box Sunday when he observed that there weren’t any visible Russell Wilson jerseys in the crowd. Current Seattle Seahawks players? Everywhere. Past stars such as Richard Sherman or Bobby Wagner? Hard to miss. There were a number of Steve Largent jerseys on some of the older backs, too, but Russ was out of our sight and seemingly out of the fans’ minds.
We wondered if there would be a day when Wilson would be beloved around these parts again — if his Super Bowl contributions and perpetual Pro Bowl play would be celebrated. Well, count me as one who thinks they should. Wilson is one of the great Seahawks of all time, and in this columnist’s opinion, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
That take may seem ill-timed given that Wilson lost his starting spot Tuesday when it was announced that rookie Jaxson Dart will replace him as the Giants’ QB1. The switch comes on the heels of Wilson going 18 of 32 for 160 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to Kansas City on Sunday, which sent New York to an 0-3 record. Given that the soon-to-be 37-year-old is on his third team in the past three years, his days as a full-time starter are more than likely over.
But this isn’t the time to slam. It’s the time to salute.
No doubt, Wilson’s Seattle departure in 2022 left a significant portion of the Seahawks’ fan base irked. He forced his way out of town despite having two years left on one of the most lucrative contracts in the NFL. It shattered that forever-dedicated-to-Seattle image he had cultivated, leaving many to view him as two-faced before lapping up his subsequent humiliations.
Wilson stopped racking up victories. He stopped performing at elite level, too. And tales of him doing high-knees on the team plane while teammates slept transformed the perception of him from winner to weirdo. But the man has served his penance. Can we remember all the good he did in Seattle?
Some people think Wilson’s Super Bowl appearances were the result of him riding the Seahawks defense and running game. Not necessarily true. Yes, the Legion of Boom era was one of the more defensively dominant in history, and Marshawn Lynch was the league’s top running back for a stretch. However, it’s unlikely that Seattle hoists a Lombardi Trophy without Russ.
His mastery of the zone-read option in his early years was every bit as critical to the Seahawks ground game as Beast Mode. His ability to extend plays with his scrambling — particularly on third down — was integral to Seattle’s success.
Approximate value is the stat that estimates efficiency in the NFL — basically the equivalent to baseball’s WAR. And three of Wilson’s four most efficient years came in those first three seasons. Writers noticed, too. In 2013, despite throwing for only 3,357 yards (16th in the NFL), he finished fourth in the AP Offensive Player of the Year voting.
But the disintegration of the Seahawks’ not-quite dynasty did not impact Wilson’s production in his middle years. His best season might have been in 2015, when he finished with a league-high passer rating of 110.1 while throwing 34 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He led the league in TDs two years later with 34, tossed 40 in 2020 and racked up a 98-45-1 record from 2012-20. Seattle didn’t have a losing season during that stretch and missed the playoffs just once.
But then came the injury-riddled season in 2021, followed by his shocking trade to Denver in 2022, and then a stint with the Steelers and now the Giants. His riding off into the sunset has come on a three-legged horse.
Still, I can’t help but think of a conversation in the media center at the Seahawks practice facility Tuesday, when someone suggested that Wilson is going to miss out on the Hall of Fame. Are we sure about that?
Pro Football Reference has a metric designed to predict HOF chances based on “Approximate Value, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships and various stat milestones.” Wilson’s is 94.26 — 18th all time. Just below him are Roger Staubach, Dan Fouts and Kurt Warner.
In short: If Russ is left out, it likely will be due to narrative, not numbers.
Tuesday was a humbling day for No. 3. He’s had a lot of those over the past few years. But he spent most of his career humbling opponents. That’s what should be remembered in the end.