The Denver Broncos franchise did not have a good season and fans have started pointing fingers. Much of this blame has been directed toward Russell Wilson, which is not unusual as fans tend to hold their quarterbacks to high standards. However, within the Broncos community, there is an even greater level of expectation for Wilson. The league has always been quick to assign importance to brilliant talent and he remains to be one of them. Additionally, Wilson’s initial statements upon joining the Broncos imply that he has an elevated level of responsibility beyond that of an average quarterback.

Wilson’s statements prior to the 2022 season sparked confidence and relief among fans, which justifies much of their subsequent anger. Although, it makes one wonder what could Wilson have said that inspired such a response from the fans.

Words of power from Russell Wilson

It all started with Wilson’s contract extension with the Broncos, which was a staggering 5-year deal worth $245 million. Despite having two years left on his Seahawks contract, Wilson is now locked in with the Broncos for a total of 7 years. Soon after the contract was signed, he held a press conference to express his gratitude to the entire organization for making the extension possible. He also instilled confidence in fans by declaring, “I believe this is a marriage, and you want to be here for a long time, and my goal is to be able to finish my career here.” as reported by the NFL.

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In a moment of humorous coincidence, Wilson rarely mentioned his real-life union with pop icon Ciara with such affection, potentially contributing to the backlash he received from fans for his lackluster on-field performance during the last season.

A Disappointing 2022 season for the Broncos

The Broncos had an unexpectedly subpar season, finishing with a record of 5 wins and 12 losses. They missed out on qualifying for the Wild Card round and were unceremoniously eliminated from contention. To make matters worse, Wilson himself had a relatively lackluster season, managing to throw just 16 touchdowns in the 15 games he played. He garnered a whopping 11 interceptions but only managed to gain 3,524 yards. These stats were a far cry from what was expected from a quarterback of his caliber.

With the way Wilson has performed in 2022, fans might not have very high expectations from him. However, after changes in coaching and organization structure, it remains to be seen if the 2023 season will be more fruitful than the last.