When Russell Wilson first burst onto the NFL stage, he looked like the next defining quarterback of his generation, like the Bradys, Rodgers, and the Mannings of the world. After all, he was a third-round pick who defied every doubt about his size by quickly transforming the Seattle Seahawks into perennial contenders.
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By Wilson’s third season, he had already led the franchise to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, winning one and nearly claiming a second if not for Malcolm Butler’s infamous goal-line interception. What made the QB stand out was the unique blend of traits he brought to the table. He wasn’t just a passer … he was the league’s most dynamic dual-threat quarterback before Lamar Jackson made his debut.
His 2014 season, when he rushed for 940 yards and seven touchdowns, epitomizes just how dangerous he was outside the pocket. Combine that with his ability to throw the best “rainbow ball” in football, and Wilson seemed destined for a Hall of Fame trajectory. But somewhere along the way, the magic started to fade.
Since leaving Seattle, Wilson’s career has been marked by inconsistency, criticism, and a visible decline in his physical tools, especially in his two years at Denver, where he posted the worst seasons of his career in terms of EPA while recording a career-low passer rating of 84.4.
And while Russ showed signs of revival in Pittsburgh last year [2,482 yards and 16 TDs], it wasn’t enough. As he enters his first season with the New York Giants, the conversation surrounding him is now less about potential greatness and more about how much he has left in the tank.
Colin Cowherd captured this fall from grace perfectly, as he called Wilson’s decline one of the most abrupt he’s ever seen in the NFL.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a player that has eroded as quickly as Russell Wilson,” the analyst said on his podcast.
“I mean, I was Team Russ, and I knew he wasn’t great from the pocket, but he threw the best rainbow ball, he was elusive, and then all of a sudden, he goes to Denver, he got slower, thicker, kind of disconnected from reality,” Cowherd added.
The veteran analyst went further, pointing out that Wilson’s struggles aren’t just about stats or missed throws. They reflect a deeper disconnect:
“I don’t remember ever in my lifetime a quarterback in two different environments being criticized by teammates and turning off a legendary head coach quickly. Like, I don’t even know what to make of Russ’s career. I don’t even have a comp for it in the NFL.”
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Unfortunately for the quarterback’s fans, numbers do back up this sense of erosion.
Wilson, once among the NFL’s most efficient deep passers, now leads the league in checkdown rates, logging a staggering 19.2% in 2024, compared to just 5.8% during his final two seasons in Seattle. His mobility has vanished, too, with designed runs and scramble yardage cratering since 2019.
Even his stints under offensive minds like Sean Payton and Arthur Smith failed to spark a turnaround, with Wilson struggling to adapt to system-driven schemes. By the end of his Steelers tenure, he was more known for late-season collapses than for his trademark fourth-quarter heroics.
Simply put, Wilson is now far more static in the pocket.
Now 36 years old, Wilson finds himself in New York, officially named the Giants’ starter by Brian Daboll. On paper, Daboll’s simplified system could offer him one last chance to regain form. But for many, including Cowherd, the conversation has already shifted to how stunningly fast he fell.
