Russell Wilson scrambles to the Hall of Fame

Russell Wilson has continued to exceed expectations since he has entered the NFL back in 2012. He was selected in the third round as the 75th overall pick. Wilson is just another walking example of how irrelevant where you get picked in the draft is to the grand scheme of your career. As a rookie he immediately became the starter for the Seattle Seahawks. He hasn’t missed a game in his entire eight season career. Yes, you read that correctly. In 128 career games, Wilson has a total of 227 Passing Touchdowns and just 68 Interceptions. Those numbers result in a 3.3 to 1 TD-INT ratio. Add the 19 total Rushing Touchdowns to his career stats and this man is a walking Hall of Famer at just the age of 31.

From a Rookie to a Champion

Linking up with Pete Carroll was obviously a blessing for the young quarterback to immediately have his coach’s trust. In his younger years, Wilson had a tremendous defense which probably catapulted his confidence into becoming a winner. It is the year 2020 and the “Legion of Boom” defense is no longer. But, Wilson continues to make the playoffs and is a threat to be an MVP candidate each season.

Russell has a career record of 86-41-1. Seven of his eight seasons under center have resulted in a season win total number of 10 or more. The one season in which they fell short of double digits in the win column, the Seahawks put out a 9-7 campaign. The Seattle Quarterback is currently the highest compensated player in the league at $35M per year. That record will soon be trumped by the signal caller in Kansas City who has literally changed the position. However, as of right now Wilson holds the crown for the most valuable asset to any NFL Franchise in terms of financials.

Playoff Career

Enough of the regular season talk. Let’s discuss the most influential time of year in any sport, the Playoffs. Wilson has one Super Bowl victory under his belt and was legitimately one completion away from his second. It takes a full sixty minutes to beat the New England Patriots. You better believe Wilson had to learn that the hard way. The game was over after Wilson threw an interception caught by Malcolm Butler at the goal line with seconds left on the clock. As tough as that moment was for Russell, I have to assume it has led to his constant success and hunger to be a better player. When an athlete gets the mental test of being so close to an end goal and failing it can either make or break the rest of their career.

In sports and in life, trial and error can often be the best educator of all. During eight seasons, he has led Seattle to the playoffs seven times. In his fifteen playoff starts, Wilson has a record of 9-6. That ranks 5th among all active starting quarterbacks for playoff wins. For as much respect as Drew Brees has in the league, Russ is one career playoff win ahead of him. The six time Pro Bowler will most likely play into his late 30’s and continue to pass great quarterbacks on many lists of career stats and accolades.

-Fred O’Brien @FOBSportsNFL