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More than a decade has passed since Russell Wilson quarterbacked the Seattle Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.
After a decade with the Seahawks, Wilson left Seattle following the 2021 season. He went on to have a tumultuous two-year stint with the Denver Broncos and spent 2024 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson started his latest chapter with the New York Giants this season, but he was relegated to the backup role after just three games.
The latest setback in the Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler’s career raised questions about his short-term NFL future and his legacy. Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez was among those who expressed doubts about whether Wilson would one day wear the coveted gold jacket.
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Russell Wilson of the New York Giants warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 21. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Gonzalez was part of Prime Video’s coverage of Thursday night’s game between the Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. At one point during the broadcast, Gonzalez shared his thoughts about Wilson’s prospects of being enshrined in Canton.
“Honestly, I hope we have. … If ever there was somebody who played himself out of a Hall of Fame, it’s Russell Wilson. And I say that because look at what’s happened. Ever since he left Seattle – when he was in Seattle, he was the man. He was making these good plays. He won a Super Bowl, went to two of them.”
Tony Gonzalez, left, of the Atlanta Falcons congratulates Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks on their 33-10 win at Georgia Dome, Nov. 10, 2013, in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Gonzalez then pointed to Wilson’s turbulent run with other NFL teams since his Seahawks exit.
“But as soon as he left there, he went to Denver – signed that big old deal – they paid him $39 million to leave. He goes to Pittsburgh, plays there one year, he’s out of there. Now he goes (to New York) and has three games. I just don’t know if it’s gonna get any better, and I don’t want to see him on a sideline holding a clipboard.
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“I just don’t think he’s done himself any favors since he left Seattle. And how’s it gonna get better? I don’t know.”
Richard Sherman, a former member of the Seahawks famed “Legion of Boom” defense, also weighed in on Wilson’s career.
“I agree. I think you’ve got to judge his career off when the ‘Legion of Boom’ was there – he had a legendary defense, an all-time defense and how much success he had – and then without that legendary defense.”
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, left, and defensive back Richard Sherman at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., Feb. 1, 2015. (Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
Sherman then pointed to the lack of wins Wilson has managed to produce since he left Seattle.
“He was a winning football player in Seattle,” Sherman continued. “And now you get to go on your own, and you get to prove, ‘Hey, I’m this great quarterback, I’m this guy that’s gonna be dominant.’ And it just hasn’t worked out that way.”
Wilson was drafted in the third round in 2012. He earned the starting role as a rookie and later evolved from what many viewed as a game manager into one of the NFL’s more athletic and freelancing quarterbacks.
The Giants dropped their Week 3 game to the Kansas City Chiefs to remain winless entering their Week 4 matchup with the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers. Wilson performed well in a narrow overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
However, a lackluster showing in two of three games this season prompted the Giants to bench Wilson.
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Despite the benching, Wilson remains confident in his ability to continue to play the game at a high level.
“I know I’m a winner,” he said Wednesday after he lost the starting job. “I know having the championship mentality. Winners don’t pick and choose. Leaders don’t pick and choose when they want to lead and when they want to help and communicate like a winner or whatever that may be. Those are the things that I know, and I can control. So that’s what I’m focused on.”
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart will get his first career start on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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