While we haven’t seen a great game from Wilson this season, I don’t think his career is on the line in the last two games. But what he does in weeks 17 and 18 may have an impact on his legacy.
Wilson’s career was on a Hall of Fame track during his 10 seasons in Seattle; He made two Super Bowl appearances (winning one), won nine Pro Bowl selections, and had nine winning seasons with a 104-53-1 record as the Seahawks’ starter. This version of Wilson feels like a relic from the distant past after what we saw in Denver this season. In 13 games, he has completed a career-low 60.1 percent of his passes for 3,019 yards, with a 12:9 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a career-worst passer rating of 82.6.
On Monday, a day after the Broncos fell back to 4-11 from the Baker Mayfield-led Rams, head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired. But looking at offense this season, I don’t think Denver’s mistakes are entirely Hackett’s. Wilson routinely missed easy reads that no quarterback should miss in a West Coast system.
This is the second season that 34-year-old Wilson has struggled with this type of offense after failing to “cook” in Seattle in 2021 under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. At this point, I believe the only system Wilson can be successful in is a run—heavy approach speckled with play-action pass—which he ran in Seattle for much of his career.
Denver stays behind Wilson, who received a massive contract from the Broncos following his takeover via the Blockbuster trade. Wilson and the Broncos have two games left, a street contest in Kansas City and a home final against the Chargers. If he plays well, Wilson can help convince people to trust him when the doubt comes out of that losing season. Still, Wilson will have plenty to do next season to prove he belongs with Canton, despite the 2022 smudge on his resume.