Let Russ cook.
Father time hasn’t exactly afforded a graceful, riding off into the sunset period for New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson. The soon-to-be 37-year-old quarterback started the year as the starter for the Giants, but was ultimately benched for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
This comes after Wilson’s hopeful tenure as a Denver Bronco basically ended with fans – and head coach Sean Payton – running him out of Mile High. Russell Wilson was once viewed as one of the premiere quarterbacks in the game. His time as the QB for the Seattle Seahawks will likely land him in the NFL Hall of Fame, and he is able to say that he’s won a Super Bowl.
But as he’s aged, so has his game. He’s not the same player that he used to be (Father time affects all with the exception of Tom Brady), and now Wilson seems destined to be a back-up quarterback until he decides to hang it up for good.
Though Wilson might not be seeing action on the field, he just recently – and surprisingly – got some “playing time” on social media. Generally speaking, Russell Wilson primarily speaks in generalities. He’s never once said something controversial, and he rarely ever feeds into the drama that surrounds himself or his career.
But he broke that streak just a couple of hours ago when he sent this out on X:
“Classless… but not surprised. Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media.”
Now why would he press send on that post? And who is he talking about?
Well, with the context clues I’ve already provided (and if you call yourself a football fan), Russell Wilson is clearly referencing the time he spent with the Broncos. That “Let’s Ride” hashtag that he included is undoubtedly a call back to the infamous tag line that turned into a meme representative of Wilson’s career in Denver.
The other important part to note is the “bounty hunting” jab, which is most definitely a response to a) the 2012 scandal that Broncos head coach Sean Payton was embroiled in and b) something that Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said during time with the media this past weekend.
After the Broncos beat the Giants (in historic, remarkable, comeback fashion), Payton shared kind words about the Giants organization… and then openly stated that he would have preferred to match up against his former QB, Russell Wilson, rather than rookie sensation Jaxson Dart:
“I have a ton of respect for that organization. I spent four of my early years there – coordinating, Super Bowl, first game in the stadium after 9/11. I’m close with the Mara-Tisch family.
They found a little spark with that quarterback. I was talking to John Mara not too long ago and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would’ve happened long after our game.'”
Ahh… so that “classless” and “bounty hunting” comment from Russell Wilson was a clap back to Sean Payton saying that he would have rather faced Wilson in the Broncos game against the Giants. I’m always here for a petty, verbal, sports-related grudge match. It’s very uncharacteristic of Russell to actually voice how he’s feeling… but now that he has, it might be good to see more of this side of Danger-Russ.
