Former Wisconsin HC Bret Bielema: Russell Wilson will Set a Standard 'No One Else can Match'

Things are changing around Russell Wilson in the Mile High City.

There were dramatic changes this National Football League offseason including blockbuster trades and massive free-agent deals that shook up the landscape. For better or worse, change is inevitable and should be expected at each turn in the winding road of the NFL.

But what happens when a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback, and former Super Bowl champion, suddenly finds himself at the helm of a franchise attempting to change its trajectory by acquiring him in a massive trade from the Seattle Seahawks?

That’s exactly what fans around the league are pondering after Denver Broncos GM George Paton shook up the AFC West by landing Russell Wilson in a jaw-dropping trade in March that sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, QB Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris to Seattle.

The 33-year-old who grew up in Richmond, VA, was originally drafted in the third round by the Seahawks back in 2012 where his transcendent talent elevated him into elite QB status. Wilson has all the hardware that a top-5 QB in the NFL should have — including a Super Bowl XLVIII ring, two NFC title rings, a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award (2020), and countless individual achievements, milestones, and records.

The quarterback's former head coach at Wisconsin, Bret Bielema, recently spoke with the Colorado Springs Gazette’s George Stoia, and previewed exactly what Broncos Country can expect in the next chapter of Wilson’s career.

“He’ll set the standard and the expectation that no one else can match,” Bielema explained of his former Wisconsin QB. “He’ll prepare, practice, rehearse and put himself in a position that when it comes time to compete at the highest level of competition. He’ll be the standard for what everybody else has to be at. I know that’s what he did in college, I know he did that in Seattle and I know he’ll do it in Denver.”

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Wilson's new Broncos teammates have noticed a shift in standards and expectations. Wideout Courtland Sutton gushed over a "different standard" in the building since Wilson arrived for OTAS last week. 

Wilson played 36 career games at North Carolina State between 2008-10 in addition to graduating in three years with his Bachelor’s Degree in communication. In 2011, the multi-sport star was drafted by the Colorado Rockies which led to his eventual transfer to Wisconsin after bumping heads with former N.C. State head coach Tom O’Brien. 

Wilson left the Wolfpack having thrown for 8,545 yards and 76 touchdowns with 26 interceptions. Wilson’s Wolfpack jersey No. 16 has since been retired in honor of his success.

Paired with Bielema at Wisconsin, who’s now the head coach at Illinois, Wilson played in 14 games his senior season for the Badgers and threw for 3,175 yards and 33 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Wilson was also awarded first-team All-Big Ten honors and won the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year Award, and finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 2011. 

Wilson set a single-season record for passing efficiency the same season (191.8). So, while the circumstances and specifics of change can be challenging to say the least, the quarterback has proven throughout his football career he knows how to adapt and overcome. 

From playing for two college football programs, to being drafted into pro baseball, the multi-talented Wilson has his ducks in a row. The Wilson family has been busy transplanting its roots to the Mile High City and can frequently be seen supporting fellow pro-teams including the MLB's Rockies, NHL's Colorado Avalanche, and the NBA's Denver Nuggets postseason games. 

It was also announced last week that Wilson and his wife Ciara bought a $25 million mansion to officially oversee their new dominion within Broncos Country and settle into the beautiful Orange and Blue-colored surroundings. 

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