"Mr. Unliiiimited" might be anything but.
The Russell Wilson era hasn't exactly gotten off to the start that all parties have hoped for through a season and a half. While Sean Payton has helped get a little bit more out of Wilson than Nathaniel Hackett did, the quarterback has yet to recapture the heights of his best years in Seattle, and it appears he won't get a chance to do so in Denver.
That means that the Wilson trade isn't aging entirely well for the Broncos to this point. While it seemed like a slam-dunk move for Denver at the time, the Broncos are now in Year 2 and spiraling, with Wilson carrying the brunt of the team's failures on his shoulders since the start of 2022.
MORE: Examining the successes, failures of the Russell Wilson-Sean Payton relationship
Wilson's ride with the Broncos appears on the verge of ending, as multiple reports say Payton is benching the veteran QB for the final two weeks of the regular season and turning to Jarrett Stidham as the starter to avoid triggering a massive injury guarantee in Wilson's deal.
With the Wilson era apparently on the verge of ending, here's a look back at what they gave up to get Russ:
What did the Broncos trade for Russell Wilson?
The Broncos traded three players and four draft picks (2022 and 2023) for Wilson. Denver sent quarterback Drew Lock, defensive tackle Shelby Harrison, tight end Noah Fant, along with 2022 first-, second- and fifth-round picks and 2023 first- and second-round picks.
Not only did the Broncos trade for Wilson, but they also gave him a hefty new contract: At the time of its signing, Wilson's deal ranked third in the NFL in total value, behind Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
MORE: The highest paid QBs in the NFL by value, AAV and guarantees
Russell Wilson trade details
In total, four players and six draft picks traded hands in one of the biggest deals in NFL history. With the trades now finalized and the last player picked, here's what those picks turned into:
Broncos get:
- QB Russell Wilson
- 2022 fourth-round pick (DL Eyioma Uwazurike, Iowa State)
Seahawks get:
- QB Drew Lock
- DT Shelby Harris
- TE Noah Fant
- 2022 first-round pick (OT Charles Cross, Mississippi State)
- 2022 second-round pick (OLB Boye Mafe, Minnesota)
- 2022 fifth-round pick (OLB Tyreke Smith, Ohio State)
- 2023 first-round pick (CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois)
- 2023 second-round pick (EDGE Derick Hall, Auburn)
Here's how the Seahawks' picks and players have panned out:
— Drew Lock remains the No. 2 on the Seahawks depth chart behind Geno Smith, who had a career renaissance after the Wilson trade; the veteran QB turned out to be a major hidden beneficiary of the blockbuster deal.
— After five years with Denver, Harris signed with the Browns this past offseason. Harris played well up the middle in his lone year with the Seahawks.
— As is typically the case with drafted tight ends, it's usually the second team that reaps the benefits of the player. While Fant was a solid receiver for the Broncos, he's emerging in 2023 as one of the league's better receiving tight ends. Per PFF, he's earned an 82.5 receiving grade, good for third in the NFL (minimum ~7 targets). That is, though a very small sample size — he has just 10 receptions on 11 targets.
— Offensive tackle Charles Cross had an OK 2023 and was injured in Week 1 this year. Cross is heralded for his silky-smooth pass protection ability.
— Minnesota's Boye Mafe earned a reputation for having a fairly high ceiling for a pass rusher, and through just three games played this year, he's already matched his pressure total from 2022 (12 overall pressures, with two sacks).
— Smith hasn't seen the field much, playing just nine total snaps on defense this season. He missed the entirety of his rookie season while dealing with hip injuries and surgery.
— Devon Witherspoon, the Seahawks' first-round pick in 2023 which originally belonged to Denver, is one of the top-graded rookie defenders in all of football, per PFF. Witherspoon holds a 79.7 overall defense grade, good for fourth in the NFL among qualified rookies.
— Second-round pick Derick Hall has accounted for seven pressures so far in 2023, with five coming in the Seahawks' Week 4 win over the Giants. Overall, a promising start for the Auburn product.
