It’s difficult to recall a player whose public perception has nosedived as precipitously as Russell Wilson’s has in the past two seasons. In November 2020, Wilson was considered the favorite for the NFL MVP award and one of the best QBs in the league. A nine-time Pro Bowler, a two-time participant and a one-time winner of the Super Bowl, at least as stated then, an MVP award would be long overdue and possibly usher him into Canton. The team started 5-0, took a bye, and then dropped a few games in a competitive NFC West that saw both the 49ers and Rams make it to double-digit wins. They still finished 12-4, but Wilson’s MVP bid started to cool, particularly after Week 11, when his stats plummeted.

Wilson’s decline with Seattle continued into 2021, finishing with a 6-8 record as a starter and recording his worst numbers to date. The team missed the playoffs, sparking speculation about Wilson’s future in the Evergreen State. However, the blame was primarily on the team’s overall performance, with the public still believing that Wilson had more to offer.

The Seahawks traded him to Denver in a blockbuster in 2022, netting two firsts, two seconds, a fifth, Noah Fant, Drew Lock, and Shelby Harris, and the Broncos immediately signed Wilson to a five-year, $245 million extension. Denver had been compiling theoretically electric skill players for years, and coveted youngsters like Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Javonte Williams, K.J. Hamler, and Albert Okwuegbunam dripped with potential. The Broncos were instantly a dark-horse Super Bowl contender, and smart people called for Wilson to finally claim that elusive MVP. Things were looking up.

But, as fate would have it, Wilson’s time in Denver was far from what was expected. He struggled, and his tenure was cut short. Some have gone as far as to label it the worst trade in NFL history; others have stopped short, but the consensus is clear: it was a disaster.

THE WORLD HAS TURNED ON WILSON’S PERCEPTION

So, has Wilson begun to decline? In the court of public opinion, the jury has now been presented with no less than four separate smoking guns: Wilson had nine Pro Bowls in Seattle and has followed with three straight years where he added no more. He has failed under three coaches in three years while with two organizations, both in win/loss record and statistical compiling. The Seahawks elevated Geno Smith from backup to starter, and he has played the best football of his career with Seattle after several failed stops, bringing into question whether Wilson’s greatness was ever his own or if he had always been a system QB in disguise. And the Broncos thought so poorly of him that they decided to pay $85 million over two years for him to leave — the most significant dead cap sum in salary cap history. Add to that the fact that some find Wilson’s exuberant teetotalling brand of optimism to be phony, especially while compiling losses, and one can see why the football community has turned its back on him.

Late Sunday night, Wilson agreed to terms on a nothing contract – a one-year deal worth just $1.2 million, the league minimum. This will go into effect officially at the start of the league year at 4 PM on Wednesday. Barring restructures, cuts, and extensions, Wilson is currently due to make less money from the Steelers in 2024 than Nick Mullens, Kyle Trask, Malik Willis, and Hendon Hooker will make from their teams and less than incumbent starter Kenny Pickett will from Pittsburgh. He’s even set to make less than 2023 Steelers’ backup Mitch Trubisky, who signed with Buffalo earlier this week to be Josh Allen’s backup for nearly twice as much.

But you’ll love this part (unless you live in the Rocky Mountains, perhaps). The Broncos get to subtract what Wilson makes in salary from the $39 million they still owe him this year. So, Wilson’s bank account is not affected, only Denver’s. Meanwhile, Wilson gets to join a good roster with immense financial freedom and send the Broncos one last middle finger on his way out the door.

Man. How punk.

AN UNLIKELY HERO?

For the Steelers, the contract is a no-brainer. They get the cheapest QB on the market, but he has an impressive resume. Even if it’s been three seasons since we’ve seen it, Wilson’s pedigree is far more substantial than anything else they could find at that price point. In the worst-case scenario, Wilson is worse than Pickett, who is still on the roster, and they stay the course, relegating Wilson to an experienced backup. But the best case scenario is that he is resurrected by . . . ahem . . . Arthur Smith.