Not so long ago, Russell Wilson looked like a borderline Hall of Famer and the type of quarterback at least half of the league would’ve pursued in free agency.
Fast forward to today, and his phone hasn’t rung once since free agency started. According to NFL insider Jason La Canfora, teams have shown no interest whatsoever in signing him. Even Teddy Bridgewater, who retired with a history of injuries, landed a new job before him.
Per La Canfora, Wilson is seen as problematic. He’s had messy exits from all of his teams, he has been reluctant to embrace a mentorship role, and he may not want to take a veteran’s minimum salary like some of his colleagues:
“Wilson also had a toxic exit to his time in Denver, and his declining skills, inability to seemingly grasp how far he has fallen from his peak years and great skepticism about his ability to fully grasp being a mentor-type backup has left him without a market as the draft fast approaches and even more teams with depth quarterback need the roster with young and cheap passers,” La Canfora wrote.
Wilson’s days as a starter are clearly far behind him. Then again, he doesn’t seem to agree with that, and signing him to a team with another quarterback might lead to a problematic dynamic:
“We weren’t going to do anything with him. He’s a weird fit now. It’s over him as a starter and I don’t think he sees himself for who he really is,” an unnamed NFL executive told La Canfora.
No one can take anything away from what he accomplished in his prime. However, after burning so many bridges and seemingly making no friends around the league, no one might be willing to take a chance on a declining veteran looking for starter money and opportunities.
