Russell Wilson Is Under a Tremendous Amount of Pressure

Russell Wilson's ability to co-exist with the Seattle Seahawks reached its endpoint and the former Super Bowl winner was dealt to the Denver Broncos about a month ago. It'll be a new lease on life for the quarterback who insists he simply cannot be limited. And considering the offensive weaponry at his disposal, as well as an above-average defense to rely on, it's within reason that the franchise resurges to its first playoff appearance since 2015.

The extreme depth of talent in the AFC West, though, might cause a reasonable person to set more reasonable expectations. So that's why it's a bit surprising to hear Joy Taylor say that the Broncos are the team with the most pressure out of any team in the NFL.

"There's a lot of teams that are on the hot seat or really need to get over the hump this year but we've been talking about the Denver Broncos and all the talent that they've had and how they're just a quarterback away for quite some time now," she said while hosting The Herd this afternoon. "Well, they have their quarterback now."

"Tom Brady left New England for Tampa Bay, immediately won a Super Bowl in a COVID year where it was almost impossible to get together and work out. Matthew Stafford left the Detroit Lions after 12 years of complete disarray, immediately goes to the Los Angeles Rams who moved off a quarterback by the way who they had gone to a Super Bowl with, wins a Super Bowl. I'm not saying Russell Wilson has to win a Super Bowl this year, but they kind of have to be great."

It might be fairer to say there's more pressure on Wilson than there is on the Broncos as a whole. His legacy will be shaped by this second act and when you really start to look at his time with the Seahawks, it's been a while since his last playoff success story.

Personally, it seems like there's a hard cap on what the Broncos can be based on their schedule. The path to a Super Bowl would likely include a run as a Wild Card team. Which, oddly, seems like it would be the type of narrative Wilson would enjoy. It'll be interesting to see what the state of play looks like if a few empty years go by because there's absolutely no guarantee Denver will reap great rewards, even if the trade looks pretty smart.