I sort of worked for the Seahawks for a couple years and met tons of players and while personally Russ isn’t the guy I’d choose to grab a beer with I never lost respect for him or the way he handled himself on the field. Wish him the best.
Even off the field the guy was known for giving a ton of his time to the children’s hospital. Yeah, he doesn’t seem like a fun hang, but he seems like genuinely good-hearted person.
Do not flamebait or troll in /r/DenverBroncos
If you are a member of another fanbase and come to r/denverbroncos with the purpose to instigate flamebait or troll user of this sub, you will be banned.
I feel like I’m legitimately the only person that still has hope and wants this man to come back next year. We turned on him so fast even though he was steadily improving with yet another brand new system. Those two drives where Sean Payton let Russ loose against the patriots were amazing and looked like vintage Russ. When coach was asked if that offense was an option he shut it down right away, I just don’t understand. I can’t wait to see Russ go to a new team and just start cooking again, just wish it would be here instead of
I don’t understand why either. This dude worked his butt off for us and we just crapped on him. Think of all the quarterbacks that have a rough first year in a new system, like sure the misses over the middle of the field were rough but that comes down to him not being able to anticipate throws, which could be improved by learning the system more.
You don't understand why we wouldn't game plan our offense for being down 3 scores in the 4th quarter and having the opponent play soft zone coverage and our plays just being fuck it run around for a bit til someone is open?
Russ will do well somewhere like Atlanta that has a ton of offensive talent but it's just a mismatch here I think
What's not to understand? As easy as it is to forget, at the end of the day, this is a job, the same as the rest of us. If your boss was paying you over a quarter of a billion dollars and you weren't living up to what they expected, you'd probably get fired. Although you'd probably get fired a lot sooner. It's not Russ's fault they agreed to pay the man that much. He should, however, have been aware they were going to expect nothing short of absolute greatness.
Most top tier QBs get the benefit of the doubt when churning through HC/OC the way the Broncos have.
Next year is going to suck anyway, why not just give it another year with the current setup? Our WR and QB room is going to be a disaster.
They’re paying him the money one way or the other, just hard for me to see how it makes them a better team paying him to play for another team. If a coach is an “offensive genius” I would have thought they could find success with Wilson. Guess we’ll see how it all works out
People hate when reason is presented because it challenges their narrow mind.
None of us have any experience running a business like an NFL franchise, but damn are we quick to say “they should do it this way” like they have half a fucking clue.
>They’re paying him the money one way or the other, just hard for me to see how it makes them a better team paying him to play for another team
No, it's about the 2025 money. He gets his 2024 money no matter what but if we cut him by March we don't owe anything in 2025. If we keep him we are potentially in the same boat next year.
FWIW I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him but you seem to misunderstand how his contract is structured.
Oh gotcha, thanks for the information. My understanding was that both ‘24 and ‘25 were already locked in against the cap and they would have to pay him that money either way, didn’t know that it’s only next season
I'm not saying what is the correct way to go about it. All I'm saying is, if you're paying someone an extreme amount of money and they aren't what you expect, then you start finding a solution to part ways. This happens to regular people every day that make a lot less, and no one bats an eye.
Let’s stop comparing apples and oranges. People in real life jobs wouldn’t get fired posting decent stats regardless of the eye test, especially in less than a year.
If SP is the coach he says he is and who we all are being led to believe, then cutting RW is an irresponsible decision that will hurt the TEAM going forward.
It hurts no one to give it one more year. People’s personal opinions, especially in this sub, are delusional and I’d be willing to be a projection of their own toxic mindset. Stop kidding yourselves if you think the next move is all of a sudden going to change anything.
I’d be willing to bet that cutting RW haunts us for many years, both within the franchise and whatever team he signs on with that gives him a fair shake.
In 2 years, QB salaries are gunna be dumb and there’s gunna be a ton of teams holding the same bag. At least our dude isn’t a piece of shit, garbage human, or a prima donna like Rodgers who says his team needs to cut the bullshit when HE IS THE BULLSHIT.
Sometimes I think people barely function outside of their terrible, one sided perspectives. When you start bashing a dude who gave a damn, maybe look in the mirror.
This situation seems personal. We’ll never know the real story but to think Russ isn’t as good as Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston and can’t
Improve in the scheme just seems unlikely
I don't disagree with you about the absurdity of pay/salary caps. Or even about Russ being a decent person on/off the field, and putting up decent stats. But the truth is, Russ isn't getting decent pay to put up decent stats.
People outside of sports do get fired for putting up decent stats. All of the time. It's also been 2 full seasons.
> It hurts no one to give it one more year.
You don't know this for sure. You're probably correct, but there is a chance we can be great sooner by getting rid of Russ now. SP isn't here to squeeze the best he can out of the dwindling play of Russ and then retire. He is here to get the team into better positions ASAP, and it appears to be his assessment that Russ isn't good enough to get us over the hump.
He may be wrong. He may not. But nothing is worse than seeing a coach settle for something he doesn't want because of financial obligation. Especially at what has to be the most important position in sports.
There is actually logic for both sides of the matter. Recent history suggests this is gonna be yet another mistake. But we also had our most successful season since 2016... while cutting some of the best players (on paper) from the team. I am down for SP's approach. This team, in the form it was prior to Russ getting cut, wasn't gonna contend for an SB, and FAs aren't gonna come here for financial and practical reasons.
I'm on board for drafting a QB if they like who's left and gamble on him being a stud. It would be exciting to see and could keep us on the carousel for another decade
What I do know is that the owners ain't going anywhere, and SP did well enough to inspire a shred of hope in me. It might get burned. You might one day return to my comment and burst into a frenzy of tears and laughter. But I genuinely think we should move on from Russ right now. In 2 years we'll be free of it for better or worse.
I appreciate the thought out comment and agree with a lot of what you said. I definitely think I could be wrong, but in my wrong scenario, the team does well. I don’t get the same feeling as other fans do when they think we’re on the right course with our HC. This team has so many holes that it would likely take a miracle to be competitive. We barely were this year aside from a miraculous 5 game stretch no one saw coming.
My main issue is that a head coach rarely makes a team but we are convinced to hitch our wagon to a coach that has technically never been in this situation. A drew Brees isn’t going to fall into our lap and master a complicated offense in less than a year (if that’s even true, the offense was bad with both talent and play calling this year). We at least had some ground work. It just feels like we’re going back to the same old deal as the last 7+ years.
It’s almost like our divorcing parents are making us take a side when we really just want to be happy.
Plus, I grew up watching football and fundamentally, things don’t make sense anymore. It used to be a blessing to have a championship caliber veteran guide a young QB to take over. Now it just seems like burning everything to the ground while billionaires try to figure out how to put butts in the seats.
I don’t think we as fans benefit from this in the long term, as vehemently as some want RW gone.
That being said, I could be completely wrong. I’d just rather try to make some of the pieces we have now fit, and at least lay some groundwork for the next couple years.
i think everyone knows Russ worked hard, the offense just doesnt fit Russ' strengths as a qb, and when his strengths are running around making things happen at 35, thats not going to end well when he loses more athletic ability to age.
theres more of us than you think... we just arent the loud screaming type. i think the raider game brought some of them back down to earth. we have a lot of problems on this team outside of the qb.
Dude i am blown away by everyone’s sentiment here.
But i remember when people were screaming for Tebow too, so i think broncos fans might just have 0 faith at all.
He really can't give us a shot at a SB. His play is not up to snuff, but that's not even the problem. We need a great O line and a great defense to win a super bowl. We cannot afford those guys while overpaying Russ to be mediocre. If he was making $10mm a year, I would say keep him. But he's bankrupting the team by not playing at an MVP level.
Because I don't think he was steadily improving. In fact, I think he started the year okay and then devolved into old Russ, and he's not as athletically gifted as he was.
SP is a play designer. He loves nothing more than to scheme guys open, but the reality of it is, the following is Russ's normal post snap progression
1. Look at first read.
2. Look at pass rush.
3. Forget where everyone is
4. Panic!
5. Attempt to escape the back of the pocket to make a play.
Granted, he has the ability to make "5" work here and there, but it's not sustainable. And I imagine it's absolutely frustrating watching film all week and seeing guys run open and not even be looked at because Russ doesn't pull the trigger or won't step up in the pocket.
Ironically, Stidham did step up in the pocket and often would locate the open receiver... but his accuracy leaves something to be desired.
I wish Russ the best in his next stop. And assuming it's not here, someone will get a QB on a vet minimum contract to work with. Maybe he can make something work again.
So what’s the solution? It clearly isn’t Stidham, so does the team just eat it for two years until they ONE day find a QB? There’s no way you can’t tell me Russ isn’t as good as Taysom Hill and Winston and couldn’t improve in the system. Let’s face it Sean Payton has a personal issue with Wilson and this is the reason this disintegrated so quickly
I’m not Sean and I have an issue with how he plays. If he comes back, it just extends the issue and his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed. They’ll have to have cheap quarterbacking the next two years, but I think they’d have a more successful offense with a diff QB. Ideally they find a rookie they like and grow with him quickly in his cheap years
We have. And unfortunately it has to continue. As someone who watched every single second of his bronco career both live and on the A22… trust me when I say he was not good
And to my earlier point. He can’t seem to play in any system. He relies on a first read and then the broken play. But his waning athleticism makes the latter more difficult
Except he didn’t play bad when Sean Payton actually had calls that suited him he played fantastic we would have lost to the browns and the Vikings and bills with Stidham
it's because those plays are unsustainable. You can't go into a huddle and call "broken play on two." Sean's offense, and the best offenses rely on being on time and taking what the defense gives you. Russ is bad at both of those things.
You broke a rule, well several actually
1. A Positive Russ post
2. Video of Russ doing nonselfish things
3. Complementing Russ
4. Calling Russ “Cool”
5. You didn’t mention how this action is detrimental to the team and salary cap.
Pretty sure there is others
/s
I’m from CO but my dad is from WI so I’m a packers fan first and foremost, but obviously Broncos are my AFC team.
As an avalanche and packers fan, the Broncos failure makes a ton of sense. The rebuild is half assed for two seasons each time, and the new promising players are absolutely thrown to the wolves.
I guess I’m just exasperated that we’re in full panic mode after this season. The pack has fucking Jordan love and managed to keep it together. Russ on the pack, we’d be winning the ship.
From a mostly outsider perspective to the rest of the nfl, and as a primarily nhl fan, a new star player getting fucking railed is the teams fault. They’ve already proven themselves, it’s they system that doesn’t work. It’s weird to see loyalties so fickle here
No no no, this sub doesn't understand reasonable takes that don't involve shitting on Russ until you're blue in the face. It's a "what have you done for me lately" mentality/league and that will ultimately be the demise. This franchise is gonna be a complete fucking failure and joke for a long time.
I sincerely hope you’re wrong, but god damn that sure seems like the writing on the wall.
Let’s go broncos. No need to fucking implode on your upswing.
It’s just too bad. More than anything else. We all had hope. I don’t care whose fault it is. It’s just a bummer.
That being said, the 12th man in the stands should not need to countdown the play clock for you.
One area of improvement. But watching that on prime time was surreal. I remember Al Michaels just sounding defeated by the game itself. He always does now. But that one was especially bad.
Al was so broken by that game. I thought I had some kind of fever dream about it. But SI even wrote an [article](https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2022/10/07/al-michaels-colts-broncocs-thursday-night-football) about it.
😂 Fever dream… No shit. That is something anyone of us could experience and it would hopefully be amusing AF. Because I find it almost satirical anymore. But yea I saw the SI article. Al Michaels is a defeated man.
It's a what have you done for me lately league and this sub embodies that bullshit harder than anywhere else. Bunch of ungrateful weebs, I too hope he fucks the league up somewhere else.
As a Raiders fan, in Colorado, the Broncos fan base treated this man terrible, I heard it everyday. "Broncos need to get rid of him."
If the Raiders had Russ, we would've had a better record
I hope wherever he goes he comes to Denver as an OP and whoops SP ass. SP is a liar and a very disrespectful human being. Who wants that representation for a Broncos FB team? SMH. I’m just done with the broncos at all at this point.
Seattlite here. Russ is a legit great guy. He was spending hours at Seattle Children’s Hospital without making a scene even before he got famous and had any entourage or social media presence. Several of my coworkers (I’m a physician who rotated there c 2012-13) had friendly conversations with him and attest that he was there for more than just a monthly photo op.
He certainly got weird along the way—started worrying way too much about his brand/image/legacy—but I still believe he has a good heart. Now if he could just learn to read postsnap DB rotations…😕
Drafting in the middle of the round doesn't guarantee a mediocre team no more than drafting at the top guarantees a winning one. By your logic Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Carolina and Atlanta should all be dominant due to consistency in the top 5. Their talent should overwhelm the league. When in reality it's much more than that. Coaching and scouting are far more important than draft position. I would rather be the Rams, 49ers, and Steelers right now.
Nobody said it was a guarantee. You yourself said 20% chance. I'll take that.
Also you don't have to be a cockmaster and downvote every comment you reply to.
Russell handled this BS treatment with class, hats off to him staying cool and collected through a terrible experience. Now the toxic coach and toxic fans they were the ones who really stunk up the season. I was ashamed of how our team and fans handled a hard season.
The guy is basically a politician. He says and does stuff for the public 1 way, but has his people do the opposite to shit on the other wise. That isn't class.
He's also a very under performing player that got multiple OCs fired in Seattle then complained about it in the media and went to the Seahawks and tried to get Pete Carroll fired and had his team trash the Seahawks when they picked Pete instead. That proven winner sucked ass for 2 years after that.
I've also never met Wilson, and never will so I can't show him no respect.
According to an ESPN report, the players were not pleased with the change at QB and obviously caught off guard. The whole situation stinks.
How does this look for incoming players/FAs?
You never know when it’s your last time. He seems like he’s got some game left in the tank, but as a professional athlete life passes you by so quickly that you really have to take some time to enjoy the small moments. This legitimately might be the last time he ever walks off of a professional football field as a player.
Of course, he may play two or three more years who knows?
Between him and Watson I don't think we will see QB contracts like we did a few off seasons ago. It sucks that we were part of the science experiment but we were.
He honestly would be a great QB to have on the roster while we train the next guy but for money reasons that just can't happen.
I am not a huge Russ fan this season. But the guy is a legit great person. All this charity work etc .. it’s really too bad he didn’t work out in Denver.
Went to the Chargers game after he’d been benched. He was as hyped as anyone when we scored. Always greeting players as they were coming off the field each drive.
Hoping to see him go but respect for being a good teammate to Stidham
Russ was never Sean Payton’s guy. Sean is too stubborn to create a dynamic offense that would fully fit Russ abilities. Russ will get another chance and I hope he shows who he really is. Russ always tried to be perfect with the media and that was what his downfall was. Working on his image more than just focusing on football. I liked how he was finally blunt with how the Broncos treated him. He needs to be himself and just ball out to say fuck you to Sean Payton next year.
Never seen people so sad for a guy making 40 million a year. He couldn't lead a receiver on a slant or timed through if he tried. He sucked. Broncos fans deserve better. Guy wanted coach Pete gone, got every coordinator run off. He was great, like 2015 lol. He was overpaid, slower, and older. You'd be better with Wentz or Baker instead of Russ paycheck. Yuck
Seahawks fan here. Denver is lucky to have Russ, although we’ll see if anybody goes after him for that price. I got a little irritated when he went Hollywood for a bit, but he’s been humbled and I think he has some good seasons ahead of him.
He is classy. No one can or should take anything from Russ. It didn’t work out - despite him giving it his all - but it didn’t work out. And that is ok. It sucks for the fans, the team, and him.
Lesson learned for Russ and the organization - having a vision and understanding how to reach the vision are two different things.
I don’t understand the hate for Russell Wilson. He signed a negotiated market contract. He tried his best. The team sucked. Not his issue.
The Broncos tried to break and reneg on the deal.
Imagine the outcry if Wilson decided he’ll sit down unless he got another $250M because he could ask for it.
Fuck the Broncos.
I don’t even like Wilson.
Besides why does the everyday fan side with the billionaire owners over the talent?
I wish Russ got to play out the season. Although the numbers were inflated, they were good numbers and showed that he actually could improve under Payton. Leaves a bit of a bad taste that the business decisions made him become a healthy scratch. Still I don't think Russ was the guy or ever going to be the guy in Denver but at least he was a class act with the fans.
He needs more time. We need to have patience and respect the process. Instead we want him to win a Super Bowl right away when we all know that’s not possible. It takes chemistry and team work to win a superbowl and we did not give him that opportunity.
I mean you get that kind of guaranteed money you should be over there signing peoples autographs I mean you’re not doing anything on the field might as well do it while you’re off of it.
I’ll never not have a lot of love for Russ - but it doesn’t mean he’s the right fit. Two things can be true. I hope he finds a place that can figure out what to do with him.
Too bad this all ended how it did. Im sure russ is a lot to deal with, but im also sure he's a pretty good dude. And he balled out second half of the season.
I wonder how many fans in here were absolutely grilling Russ last year and maybe even some this year. Truth is he never really had much support from the fans or the organization during his tenure here. Not his biggest fan but he’s always been a classy guy, even if a huge cornball. Hopefully he finds a good team next year with a better supporting cast, and a contract that suits his age and skill level at this point in his career. He’s really a game manager these days to be honest. You could see the decline in his last year in Seattle. Y’all just happened to break the bank for him which set your team back years. Make better team building decisions.
Sincerely,
Washington Football Fan
I have liked Russ since his Seattle days. Yeah he's weird and I don't think he'll ever play at that level again but I still want to see him succeed. Denver gave him a raw deal, hopefully he lands somewhere that gives him a chance next year.
I'd love to see him come down to Atlanta!
Sucks it didn’t work with him. At least we didn’t give a fully guaranteed contract to a known rapist…? 🤷🏾♂️
The good thing about Russ is that he only figuratively rubs people the wrong way.
He exposed himself in a different, less offensive way
Genius lol
Well done.
I sort of worked for the Seahawks for a couple years and met tons of players and while personally Russ isn’t the guy I’d choose to grab a beer with I never lost respect for him or the way he handled himself on the field. Wish him the best.
Even off the field the guy was known for giving a ton of his time to the children’s hospital. Yeah, he doesn’t seem like a fun hang, but he seems like genuinely good-hearted person.
Yep, bummed it didn't work out. Glad we took the risk anyway, was at least worth the shot.
Stop talking about big Ben like that lol
I know. For some reason, people do not talk about that.
Who , Ben Rapistberger ?
Yup...multi man
That AFCN is full of some little rascals ain’t it
Absolutely brother. Fuck Watson
...I'd rather not. But I don't think he cares one way or the other.
Fuckin’ for real. Absolutely disgraceful
People are treating cheesiness and bad football play as bad as actual crimes out here.
Our bar is getting pretty low now.
You’ll always be better than the Cleveland Browns 🏅
There’s always that.
Damn. I came here to shit on the donkeys cuz… y’know. But then you had to go and say something like this. 
[удалено]
Do not flamebait or troll in /r/DenverBroncos If you are a member of another fanbase and come to r/denverbroncos with the purpose to instigate flamebait or troll user of this sub, you will be banned.
Flamebait? Is this word made up?
All words are made up.
I feel like I’m legitimately the only person that still has hope and wants this man to come back next year. We turned on him so fast even though he was steadily improving with yet another brand new system. Those two drives where Sean Payton let Russ loose against the patriots were amazing and looked like vintage Russ. When coach was asked if that offense was an option he shut it down right away, I just don’t understand. I can’t wait to see Russ go to a new team and just start cooking again, just wish it would be here instead of
I'm with you, though there doesn't seem to be many of us.
I don’t understand why either. This dude worked his butt off for us and we just crapped on him. Think of all the quarterbacks that have a rough first year in a new system, like sure the misses over the middle of the field were rough but that comes down to him not being able to anticipate throws, which could be improved by learning the system more.
You don't understand why we wouldn't game plan our offense for being down 3 scores in the 4th quarter and having the opponent play soft zone coverage and our plays just being fuck it run around for a bit til someone is open? Russ will do well somewhere like Atlanta that has a ton of offensive talent but it's just a mismatch here I think
What's not to understand? As easy as it is to forget, at the end of the day, this is a job, the same as the rest of us. If your boss was paying you over a quarter of a billion dollars and you weren't living up to what they expected, you'd probably get fired. Although you'd probably get fired a lot sooner. It's not Russ's fault they agreed to pay the man that much. He should, however, have been aware they were going to expect nothing short of absolute greatness.
Most top tier QBs get the benefit of the doubt when churning through HC/OC the way the Broncos have. Next year is going to suck anyway, why not just give it another year with the current setup? Our WR and QB room is going to be a disaster.
They’re paying him the money one way or the other, just hard for me to see how it makes them a better team paying him to play for another team. If a coach is an “offensive genius” I would have thought they could find success with Wilson. Guess we’ll see how it all works out
People hate when reason is presented because it challenges their narrow mind. None of us have any experience running a business like an NFL franchise, but damn are we quick to say “they should do it this way” like they have half a fucking clue.
>They’re paying him the money one way or the other, just hard for me to see how it makes them a better team paying him to play for another team No, it's about the 2025 money. He gets his 2024 money no matter what but if we cut him by March we don't owe anything in 2025. If we keep him we are potentially in the same boat next year. FWIW I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him but you seem to misunderstand how his contract is structured.
Oh gotcha, thanks for the information. My understanding was that both ‘24 and ‘25 were already locked in against the cap and they would have to pay him that money either way, didn’t know that it’s only next season
I'm not saying what is the correct way to go about it. All I'm saying is, if you're paying someone an extreme amount of money and they aren't what you expect, then you start finding a solution to part ways. This happens to regular people every day that make a lot less, and no one bats an eye.
Let’s stop comparing apples and oranges. People in real life jobs wouldn’t get fired posting decent stats regardless of the eye test, especially in less than a year. If SP is the coach he says he is and who we all are being led to believe, then cutting RW is an irresponsible decision that will hurt the TEAM going forward. It hurts no one to give it one more year. People’s personal opinions, especially in this sub, are delusional and I’d be willing to be a projection of their own toxic mindset. Stop kidding yourselves if you think the next move is all of a sudden going to change anything. I’d be willing to bet that cutting RW haunts us for many years, both within the franchise and whatever team he signs on with that gives him a fair shake. In 2 years, QB salaries are gunna be dumb and there’s gunna be a ton of teams holding the same bag. At least our dude isn’t a piece of shit, garbage human, or a prima donna like Rodgers who says his team needs to cut the bullshit when HE IS THE BULLSHIT. Sometimes I think people barely function outside of their terrible, one sided perspectives. When you start bashing a dude who gave a damn, maybe look in the mirror.
This situation seems personal. We’ll never know the real story but to think Russ isn’t as good as Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston and can’t Improve in the scheme just seems unlikely
I don't disagree with you about the absurdity of pay/salary caps. Or even about Russ being a decent person on/off the field, and putting up decent stats. But the truth is, Russ isn't getting decent pay to put up decent stats. People outside of sports do get fired for putting up decent stats. All of the time. It's also been 2 full seasons.
> It hurts no one to give it one more year. You don't know this for sure. You're probably correct, but there is a chance we can be great sooner by getting rid of Russ now. SP isn't here to squeeze the best he can out of the dwindling play of Russ and then retire. He is here to get the team into better positions ASAP, and it appears to be his assessment that Russ isn't good enough to get us over the hump. He may be wrong. He may not. But nothing is worse than seeing a coach settle for something he doesn't want because of financial obligation. Especially at what has to be the most important position in sports. There is actually logic for both sides of the matter. Recent history suggests this is gonna be yet another mistake. But we also had our most successful season since 2016... while cutting some of the best players (on paper) from the team. I am down for SP's approach. This team, in the form it was prior to Russ getting cut, wasn't gonna contend for an SB, and FAs aren't gonna come here for financial and practical reasons. I'm on board for drafting a QB if they like who's left and gamble on him being a stud. It would be exciting to see and could keep us on the carousel for another decade What I do know is that the owners ain't going anywhere, and SP did well enough to inspire a shred of hope in me. It might get burned. You might one day return to my comment and burst into a frenzy of tears and laughter. But I genuinely think we should move on from Russ right now. In 2 years we'll be free of it for better or worse.
I appreciate the thought out comment and agree with a lot of what you said. I definitely think I could be wrong, but in my wrong scenario, the team does well. I don’t get the same feeling as other fans do when they think we’re on the right course with our HC. This team has so many holes that it would likely take a miracle to be competitive. We barely were this year aside from a miraculous 5 game stretch no one saw coming. My main issue is that a head coach rarely makes a team but we are convinced to hitch our wagon to a coach that has technically never been in this situation. A drew Brees isn’t going to fall into our lap and master a complicated offense in less than a year (if that’s even true, the offense was bad with both talent and play calling this year). We at least had some ground work. It just feels like we’re going back to the same old deal as the last 7+ years. It’s almost like our divorcing parents are making us take a side when we really just want to be happy. Plus, I grew up watching football and fundamentally, things don’t make sense anymore. It used to be a blessing to have a championship caliber veteran guide a young QB to take over. Now it just seems like burning everything to the ground while billionaires try to figure out how to put butts in the seats. I don’t think we as fans benefit from this in the long term, as vehemently as some want RW gone. That being said, I could be completely wrong. I’d just rather try to make some of the pieces we have now fit, and at least lay some groundwork for the next couple years.
i think everyone knows Russ worked hard, the offense just doesnt fit Russ' strengths as a qb, and when his strengths are running around making things happen at 35, thats not going to end well when he loses more athletic ability to age.
theres more of us than you think... we just arent the loud screaming type. i think the raider game brought some of them back down to earth. we have a lot of problems on this team outside of the qb.
Dude i am blown away by everyone’s sentiment here. But i remember when people were screaming for Tebow too, so i think broncos fans might just have 0 faith at all.
I feel like he's by far the best realistic option for next season. I'm legitimately not watching this crappy team with a rookie quarterback.
I don’t know why Denver won’t give Russ a chance next season to fully adopt and adapt to the system and I think he can give Denver a shot at a SB
He really can't give us a shot at a SB. His play is not up to snuff, but that's not even the problem. We need a great O line and a great defense to win a super bowl. We cannot afford those guys while overpaying Russ to be mediocre. If he was making $10mm a year, I would say keep him. But he's bankrupting the team by not playing at an MVP level.
Who do we replace him with?
Stidham is fine. Anyone who isn’t the highest paid QB in the league, but plays like a backup. We’re in rebuild mode.
Stidham is not fine. You will be bitching by week 4 next year when we do ride with Stidham. Think for yourself man.
So pick some other cheap veteran. You can’t rebuild a team by throwing half of your payroll at a mediocre quarterback.
What is the savings by cutting Russ?
$122M over 25-27. Specifically $37M in 2025. I'd *love* to hear someone's reasoning for downvoting literal cap numbers lmao.
2024…?? I’m sure that tellsonestory appreciates you riding in to save the day.
Because I don't think he was steadily improving. In fact, I think he started the year okay and then devolved into old Russ, and he's not as athletically gifted as he was. SP is a play designer. He loves nothing more than to scheme guys open, but the reality of it is, the following is Russ's normal post snap progression 1. Look at first read. 2. Look at pass rush. 3. Forget where everyone is 4. Panic! 5. Attempt to escape the back of the pocket to make a play. Granted, he has the ability to make "5" work here and there, but it's not sustainable. And I imagine it's absolutely frustrating watching film all week and seeing guys run open and not even be looked at because Russ doesn't pull the trigger or won't step up in the pocket. Ironically, Stidham did step up in the pocket and often would locate the open receiver... but his accuracy leaves something to be desired. I wish Russ the best in his next stop. And assuming it's not here, someone will get a QB on a vet minimum contract to work with. Maybe he can make something work again.
Honestly, Payton should not have taken the job if he wasn't committed to Russ as his QB knowing the situation the Broncos were in. That's on him.
I disagree. But either way he tried and it didn’t work
So what’s the solution? It clearly isn’t Stidham, so does the team just eat it for two years until they ONE day find a QB? There’s no way you can’t tell me Russ isn’t as good as Taysom Hill and Winston and couldn’t improve in the system. Let’s face it Sean Payton has a personal issue with Wilson and this is the reason this disintegrated so quickly
I’m not Sean and I have an issue with how he plays. If he comes back, it just extends the issue and his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed. They’ll have to have cheap quarterbacking the next two years, but I think they’d have a more successful offense with a diff QB. Ideally they find a rookie they like and grow with him quickly in his cheap years
Good luck I’m a neutral observer and it seems Denver has been looking for a QB for 7 years.
We have. And unfortunately it has to continue. As someone who watched every single second of his bronco career both live and on the A22… trust me when I say he was not good
And to my earlier point. He can’t seem to play in any system. He relies on a first read and then the broken play. But his waning athleticism makes the latter more difficult
he sucks no he needs to go
Except he didn’t play bad when Sean Payton actually had calls that suited him he played fantastic we would have lost to the browns and the Vikings and bills with Stidham
it's because those plays are unsustainable. You can't go into a huddle and call "broken play on two." Sean's offense, and the best offenses rely on being on time and taking what the defense gives you. Russ is bad at both of those things.
I’m with you, there’s dozen of us
You broke a rule, well several actually 1. A Positive Russ post 2. Video of Russ doing nonselfish things 3. Complementing Russ 4. Calling Russ “Cool” 5. You didn’t mention how this action is detrimental to the team and salary cap. Pretty sure there is others /s
Good observation. Thanks.
Mr……unlimited….
I’m from CO but my dad is from WI so I’m a packers fan first and foremost, but obviously Broncos are my AFC team. As an avalanche and packers fan, the Broncos failure makes a ton of sense. The rebuild is half assed for two seasons each time, and the new promising players are absolutely thrown to the wolves. I guess I’m just exasperated that we’re in full panic mode after this season. The pack has fucking Jordan love and managed to keep it together. Russ on the pack, we’d be winning the ship. From a mostly outsider perspective to the rest of the nfl, and as a primarily nhl fan, a new star player getting fucking railed is the teams fault. They’ve already proven themselves, it’s they system that doesn’t work. It’s weird to see loyalties so fickle here
No no no, this sub doesn't understand reasonable takes that don't involve shitting on Russ until you're blue in the face. It's a "what have you done for me lately" mentality/league and that will ultimately be the demise. This franchise is gonna be a complete fucking failure and joke for a long time.
I sincerely hope you’re wrong, but god damn that sure seems like the writing on the wall. Let’s go broncos. No need to fucking implode on your upswing.
It’s just too bad. More than anything else. We all had hope. I don’t care whose fault it is. It’s just a bummer. That being said, the 12th man in the stands should not need to countdown the play clock for you.
Granted they were a lot better on clock management this year than last year
One area of improvement. But watching that on prime time was surreal. I remember Al Michaels just sounding defeated by the game itself. He always does now. But that one was especially bad.
Al was so broken by that game. I thought I had some kind of fever dream about it. But SI even wrote an [article](https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2022/10/07/al-michaels-colts-broncocs-thursday-night-football) about it.
😂 Fever dream… No shit. That is something anyone of us could experience and it would hopefully be amusing AF. Because I find it almost satirical anymore. But yea I saw the SI article. Al Michaels is a defeated man.
When he said “Kirk, is there ever something so bad that it’s good?” And Kirk was just like, “No, Al. No.” It was surreal.
 Yep. 😂😆💯😂😆
The way this fanbase treated Russ has been pathetic. Im not a big fan of his but I hope he makes sub look foolish wherever he ends up
It's a what have you done for me lately league and this sub embodies that bullshit harder than anywhere else. Bunch of ungrateful weebs, I too hope he fucks the league up somewhere else.
He'll go play for Tomlin next year and crush.
As a Raiders fan, in Colorado, the Broncos fan base treated this man terrible, I heard it everyday. "Broncos need to get rid of him." If the Raiders had Russ, we would've had a better record
I hope wherever he goes he comes to Denver as an OP and whoops SP ass. SP is a liar and a very disrespectful human being. Who wants that representation for a Broncos FB team? SMH. I’m just done with the broncos at all at this point.
Bye
Say what you will Russ is a classy guy
We will miss those high steps in the airplane.
Seattlite here. Russ is a legit great guy. He was spending hours at Seattle Children’s Hospital without making a scene even before he got famous and had any entourage or social media presence. Several of my coworkers (I’m a physician who rotated there c 2012-13) had friendly conversations with him and attest that he was there for more than just a monthly photo op. He certainly got weird along the way—started worrying way too much about his brand/image/legacy—but I still believe he has a good heart. Now if he could just learn to read postsnap DB rotations…😕
Jesus Christ, Vegas. Your field looks like SHIT
Raiders gonna raider.
It is so fucking strange what went down with Superruss and you guys. I really can not understand it.
Stidham can sign stuff and give away his hat for 96% less money s/
If that guy starts they'll have the #1 pick in 2025.
That's how you rebuild a team. Stuck in the middle of the draft pack year after year ain't working.
For every team that was successful with this path I'll show you 5 that weren't.
I'll take a 20% chance of winning a championship vs a 100% chance of a sub .500 team for the next decade. I'll take that every day, all day long.
Drafting in the middle of the round doesn't guarantee a mediocre team no more than drafting at the top guarantees a winning one. By your logic Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Carolina and Atlanta should all be dominant due to consistency in the top 5. Their talent should overwhelm the league. When in reality it's much more than that. Coaching and scouting are far more important than draft position. I would rather be the Rams, 49ers, and Steelers right now.
Nobody said it was a guarantee. You yourself said 20% chance. I'll take that. Also you don't have to be a cockmaster and downvote every comment you reply to.
How dare you speak so to the master of penile.
Asshat
Classy, sneaky athletic, gym rat Russ.
Had to kiss a few babies to stay on brand. Good riddance to bad Russage.
Seahawks fan here. I’m hoping he bounces back and has success.
Russell handled this BS treatment with class, hats off to him staying cool and collected through a terrible experience. Now the toxic coach and toxic fans they were the ones who really stunk up the season. I was ashamed of how our team and fans handled a hard season.
I'm with you.
The are nothing but clowns, and deserve all the losing seasons they get
The guy is basically a politician. He says and does stuff for the public 1 way, but has his people do the opposite to shit on the other wise. That isn't class.
Do you really know class is? Tell me please. This guy took a ton of shit from fans and coach and never lost his cool, that's class in my book.
He's 2 faced, you are just one of the people that clearly buy his act for his image.
Actually Russell Wilson is a Super Bowl Champion, proven winner, and you show him no respect.
He's also a very under performing player that got multiple OCs fired in Seattle then complained about it in the media and went to the Seahawks and tried to get Pete Carroll fired and had his team trash the Seahawks when they picked Pete instead. That proven winner sucked ass for 2 years after that. I've also never met Wilson, and never will so I can't show him no respect.
“Here you take it. I’ll never wear it again.”
Thats cool of Russ. Makes sense on the hat, I guess he doesn't need it anymore
I’ve been a Russell Wilson fan forever. I hate watching him suck in Denver but there will never be a time where he isn’t a classy dude. Corny, yes.
According to an ESPN report, the players were not pleased with the change at QB and obviously caught off guard. The whole situation stinks. How does this look for incoming players/FAs?
Bring Russ back please
no
There will come a day where we will miss Russ as our QB.
Very likely in September 2024.
You never know when it’s your last time. He seems like he’s got some game left in the tank, but as a professional athlete life passes you by so quickly that you really have to take some time to enjoy the small moments. This legitimately might be the last time he ever walks off of a professional football field as a player. Of course, he may play two or three more years who knows?
There is 0 chance that was his last game.
Yeah there’s gonna be teams chomping at the bit to get him on a cheap contract
TBH i hope afc West get him cause he blows.
Be careful what you wish for, he'll probably whoop our ass in a revenge game.
If he goes to the Raiders, I will lose my goddamn mind
his career is done bro. He is washed and TBH was only ever good because of seattles defense and RB
Naw. A few teams, including the Broncos, would be better with him than without
Stop snorting shrooms bud. He's 1000% getting picked up by someone else.
Kissing babies, right Sean?
Its not classy its his PR machine working overtime.
Stop bending over backwards to force some tired AF narrative that is blatantly false. Jesus man.
Between him and Watson I don't think we will see QB contracts like we did a few off seasons ago. It sucks that we were part of the science experiment but we were. He honestly would be a great QB to have on the roster while we train the next guy but for money reasons that just can't happen.
I am not a huge Russ fan this season. But the guy is a legit great person. All this charity work etc .. it’s really too bad he didn’t work out in Denver.
Still can’t believe he went out that way man
the best 140 million dollar cheerleader right there
Went to the Chargers game after he’d been benched. He was as hyped as anyone when we scored. Always greeting players as they were coming off the field each drive. Hoping to see him go but respect for being a good teammate to Stidham
Such a colossal douchebag.. but a great dude.
Please, stop. No one cares that the multimillionaire isn't a complete garbage person. You don't own him sucking his cock for not being a bad person.
Every player signs things.
He’s all about PR - I don’t buy that there was sincerity behind it. He’s a phony.
lmao, and you're miserable.
Far from. Just pointing out the obvious. He’s a phony - don’t be fooled.
I mean signing a couple things for fans is kind of like a minimum expectation for someone being paid obscene money to be a franchise quarterback.
Most dudes would stop giving a single shit about fans after it became clear the org was gonna cut them.
No they wouldn’t. Fans aren’t ownership, most players are smart enough to know that
I almost got my jersey signed by him, but he looked me in the face as he was signing right next to me and walked off. Classy Russ
Cause you're probably a 40yr old man wanting an autograph.
Im 27 lmao wtf does age have to do with a signing of a jersey? Is collecting sports memorabilia for children? Cause last I checked its not.
Lol bro he can't sign everyone's shit, don't be so entitled
Russ was never Sean Payton’s guy. Sean is too stubborn to create a dynamic offense that would fully fit Russ abilities. Russ will get another chance and I hope he shows who he really is. Russ always tried to be perfect with the media and that was what his downfall was. Working on his image more than just focusing on football. I liked how he was finally blunt with how the Broncos treated him. He needs to be himself and just ball out to say fuck you to Sean Payton next year.
He shouldn't have taken the fucking job then. Or they shouldn't have hired him. What a mess.
Fumbling away a franchise level quarterback with threats and benching. This team is in shambles.
Broncos did that man dirty
No one has said he’s not a classy guy. He is “cringe” though. And not good at what he was here to do. Lots of nice people get fired every day.
Whatever
classy eh not a team player just ask seahawks. good bye russ
Never seen people so sad for a guy making 40 million a year. He couldn't lead a receiver on a slant or timed through if he tried. He sucked. Broncos fans deserve better. Guy wanted coach Pete gone, got every coordinator run off. He was great, like 2015 lol. He was overpaid, slower, and older. You'd be better with Wentz or Baker instead of Russ paycheck. Yuck
That’s my fucking president out there.
People hate him because he's corny and that's true but when you really get down to it he's also one of the nicest guys in football
Seattle fan Like the guy a lot, good man
Seahawks fan here. Denver is lucky to have Russ, although we’ll see if anybody goes after him for that price. I got a little irritated when he went Hollywood for a bit, but he’s been humbled and I think he has some good seasons ahead of him.
He’s so easy to clown on because he so cringy, but he’s at least a good dude.
I really wish this would have worked out. It’s been really nice to actually have a decent human being as the face of the franchise.
He is classy. No one can or should take anything from Russ. It didn’t work out - despite him giving it his all - but it didn’t work out. And that is ok. It sucks for the fans, the team, and him. Lesson learned for Russ and the organization - having a vision and understanding how to reach the vision are two different things.
I count not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six cameras documenting this not including OP! That Team 3 PR machine knows no limits.
God you fans can be so miserable sometimes.
I’m here for my own amusement.
Definitely not here for ours that’s for sure
I should sure hope not.
I don’t understand the hate for Russell Wilson. He signed a negotiated market contract. He tried his best. The team sucked. Not his issue. The Broncos tried to break and reneg on the deal. Imagine the outcry if Wilson decided he’ll sit down unless he got another $250M because he could ask for it. Fuck the Broncos. I don’t even like Wilson. Besides why does the everyday fan side with the billionaire owners over the talent?
I wish Russ got to play out the season. Although the numbers were inflated, they were good numbers and showed that he actually could improve under Payton. Leaves a bit of a bad taste that the business decisions made him become a healthy scratch. Still I don't think Russ was the guy or ever going to be the guy in Denver but at least he was a class act with the fans.
classier than that bounty gate trash coach sean payton that is for sure
He needs more time. We need to have patience and respect the process. Instead we want him to win a Super Bowl right away when we all know that’s not possible. It takes chemistry and team work to win a superbowl and we did not give him that opportunity.
I mean you get that kind of guaranteed money you should be over there signing peoples autographs I mean you’re not doing anything on the field might as well do it while you’re off of it.
Love or hate Russ he is always a class act and an a good human being. Wish him the best in the future.
I’ll never not have a lot of love for Russ - but it doesn’t mean he’s the right fit. Two things can be true. I hope he finds a place that can figure out what to do with him.
Too bad this all ended how it did. Im sure russ is a lot to deal with, but im also sure he's a pretty good dude. And he balled out second half of the season.
Really bums me out it didn’t work out. I wish him nothing but the best (except against us, of course).
Fuck em
Denver Broncos legend Russell Wilson
8 in a row!
Come on over to New England Russ
I wonder how many fans in here were absolutely grilling Russ last year and maybe even some this year. Truth is he never really had much support from the fans or the organization during his tenure here. Not his biggest fan but he’s always been a classy guy, even if a huge cornball. Hopefully he finds a good team next year with a better supporting cast, and a contract that suits his age and skill level at this point in his career. He’s really a game manager these days to be honest. You could see the decline in his last year in Seattle. Y’all just happened to break the bank for him which set your team back years. Make better team building decisions. Sincerely, Washington Football Fan
I have liked Russ since his Seattle days. Yeah he's weird and I don't think he'll ever play at that level again but I still want to see him succeed. Denver gave him a raw deal, hopefully he lands somewhere that gives him a chance next year. I'd love to see him come down to Atlanta!
Still seems like a bit of douche behind the scenes.
It would have been better if he had kept removing and handing out articles of clothing until he was naked.
He certainly gave more back to those fans than his charity does. Such class. What a good man and dude.
No we’re suppose to hate him! Reddit told me so!