On Tuesday, a very interesting video dropped featuring NFL Network insiders Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo where they revealed damning information about Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.
Both Pelissero and Garafolo outlined different contexts for teammates in Denver growing tired of Wilson’s persona, which included him losing the locker room.
Pelissero is now clarifying what he said and correcting his statement to say he is not pinning all of the team’s issues on the Broncos. He also brought up Wilson’s health.
“I wanted to start off this show by addressing something that Mike [Garafolo] and I discussed yesterday that took on a bit of a life of its own overnight — which is our conversation that we had about the Broncos and Russell Wilson,” Pelissero said. “Ultimately I’m responsible — as we all are — for everything that we say on every platform. In this particular case, I wish that some of the other words that I had said on the subject would have gotten equal attention to things about Russell Wilson and the way that some players may feel about the situation right now.
“I also want to go back to the first thing that I said in that segment, which was, ‘This is not all Russell Wilson’s fault.’ He has been hurt throughout the course of the season. He has dealt with the lat strain. He has dealt with a partially-torn hamstring, among other things.”
Wilson himself dismissed the notion that he’s lost the locker room.
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“No. First of all, everybody wants to win,” Wilson said. “We all want to win. Nobody wants to win more than me and this team, and that’s what we want to be able to do. I think also—I have great relationships in that locker room. Whoever is trying to tear it down, you can’t. I think the best thing about it is that it’s been an amazing journey coming here, moving here and being here.”
Wilson was traded to the Broncos this offseason and would be signed for $245 million, making him the second-highest-paid quarterback in the league. It also has him locked in through the 2028 season at an average annual salary of a shade under $49 million. He has not live dup to that contract at all.
He’s completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 2,369 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. In a season full of screwups, Sunday marked a new low point for Denver as frustrations boiled over live on camera for the world to see. After making a stop on the Carolina Panthers offense, Broncos defensive tackle Mike Purcell was seen walking off the field and yelling at Wilson.
Consistent winning seasons in Seattle seemed to save Wilson from scrutiny, but consistent losses in Denver is putting a ton of things on his shoulders.
The team is just 3-8 through 12 weeks and seems to be on track for more change this coming offseason.