Ex-Teammate Thinks Russell Wilson Is Not HOF Material
Russell Wilson’s Hall of Fame chances could go up in flames if things don’t pan out with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As of now, he’s a borderline Hall of Famer. His legacy certainly took a big hit in Denver after earning nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title in his 10 years with the Seattle Seahawks.
Wilson’s former teammate in Seattle, Marshawn Lynch, thinks he still has more to prove to get a bust in Canton.
“At that position, it’s gotta be more than just the numbers,” Lynch said recently on The Pacman Jones Show. “What you bring to the organizations…how your teammates function with you…but as far as the numbers you just read off, he’s got a good body of work.
“I just think it’s going to be what he do outside of the organization of the Seahawks to solidify whether he get that HOF or not.”
Wilson is not what he was 10 years ago, but in his prime, he was one of the most elusive and dynamic quarterbacks in the league.
“That little motherf***er is a magician, man…I’ve seen him turn sh*t into sugar before, man,” Lynch said of Wilson.
Wilson had a loaded roster surrounding him when he went to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014 with Seattle, winning one and losing the other. He wasn’t a game manager, but he certainly wasn’t carrying the team on his back, either. He was supported by a great running game, thanks to Marshawn Lynch, and a legendary defense.
For this reason, former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth thinks Wilson rode Seattle’s Coattails in the Super Bowl win during the 2013 season.
“And oh by the way, those Super Bowls that you went to? You had a generational defense, the Legion of Boom, that became the model in the NFL at that time,” Schlereth said on his podcast The Stinkin Truth in April. “We’re going back to what, 2012, 2013? 2013, I believe, when they won that Super Bowl. After that, every team in the league started trying to play that Match Cover 3 that Seattle and Pete Carroll put together. It became the standard defense for the NFL.
“So you had a generational defense, you had a run game with Marshawn Lynch in Beast Mode. You didn’t have a cape on. You didn’t sling a team on your back and carry them to the promised land. You were along for the ride to a degree. If we’re just gonna be honest about history, honest about the history of that, let’s be honest about the teams that you went to the Super Bowl with,” Schlereth said.
Wilson never lived up to the expectations of the five-year $245 million contract extension that he signed with the Broncos in 2022 after being dealt by Seattle. Denver released Wilson in March and opted to take the bulk of the $85 million cap charge in 2024. It’s one of the worst trades/deals in NFL history. The Steelers are only paying Wilson $1.2 million this season because Denver still has to pay him nearly $38 million.
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