5 Revelations from Russell Wilson's First Broncos Presser

Did we learn anything new from Russell Wilson's first press conference as a Bronco? A lot.

On Wednesday, as the new league year opened across the NFL, the Denver Broncos glided around UCHealth Training Center with glee. Russell Wilson was officially a Bronco. 

GM George Paton solved what had been the biggest problem vexing the Broncos since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy six years ago: securing a true franchise quarterback. Anyone who doubts whether Wilson is a bonafide franchise guy is either off their rocker or perhaps is harboring bad-faith biases. 

And the Seattle Seahawks let him go... 

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, when he took the podium to introduce Wilson, said it best: "Come on, ya'll! Russell Wilson! Holy sh*t!" 

Holy excrement, indeed, coach. 

With Wilson officially in the fold, the Broncos now move into what remains of the offseason with the single most crucial puzzle piece in place. Even though Wilson is the tide that raises all ships, the Broncos still need to find more boats to put around him. 

Wilson's time at the podium was electric. He was fiery, confident, passionate, excited, and in no small measure, he seemed to be relieved. 

What revelations were gleaned from Wednesday's reveling? Quite a lot. Let's dive in. 

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Plans to Play Another Decade

DenverBroncos.com

In previous press run-ins before the trade, Wilson had hinted at wanting to continue his playing career into his 40s but on Wednesday, he was much more explicit in revealing how long the Broncos can expect to retain his Pro Bowl services. 

“My goal is to play 10 or 12 more years and hopefully win three or four more Super Bowls. That’s the plan," Wilson said. "That’s mindset. That’s why I came here, to hopefully be able to finish my career here, and to finish on top as a champion and do it multiple times. That’s my mindset.”

Denver got four great years out of Peyton Manning but it was over in a flash. The Broncos aren't renting Wilson for a handful of seasons. He's here for the long haul and what's even cooler is that he wants to be here, finish his career here, and like John Elway and Manning, ride off into the sunset of retirement as a World Champion. 

AFC West Put on Notice

The past six years have been rough in Denver but easily the most ignominious streak amid the depredations is the 13-game losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs. It's embarrassing, and not just to fans. 

The Broncos hate it, too. 

However, the division Wilson now steps into isn't just top-heavy collective but now boasts the most talented crop of quarterbacks in the NFL and two rivals on the rise. Wilson isn't shying away from the task at hand.

In fact, he relishes the opportunity to unseat the 800-pound gorilla that has sat atop the AFC West hill with six straight crowns on its head. 

"In terms of AFC West, I want to play against the best," Wilson said. "I don’t fear anything. So I’m looking forward to it.”

Consider the gauntlet laid down. 

Digging Hackett's High-Energy Aura

Gabriel Christus/Gabriel Christus/DenverBroncos.com

Coach Hackett is a whirlwind of enthusiasm and energy. After three years of the dour Vic Fangio regime, Hackett's juice has been a breath of fresh air. 

Wilson seems to truly appreciate it — just don't expect him to be constantly on cloud nine. After all, the players in the locker room will look to Wilson to set the tone and there's a difference between wild exuberance and cool, calm, collected confidence. 

“Yeah, I think for me, to meet Coach Hackett, to meet the rest of the staff and obviously George [Paton], I was excited because I saw the same philosophy," Wilson said. "The philosophy winning. Winning is everything. Winning is everything. And it’s the only thing to me. So I know he’ll [Hackett] be super excited, as you can tell. I’ll definitely be excited, but I’ll be a little bit more neutral that’s for sure. But when we get in the end zone, we celebrate. So we plan on getting in the end zone quite often.”

Wilson hasn't been able to sit down and dissect the entire playbook with Hackett yet because up until Wednesday at 2 pm MDT, he was a Seahawk. But Hackett's vertical passing philosophy, combined with the wide-zone rushing attack, will fit Denver's new quarterback nicely.

"I think that we haven’t been able to go through everything yet, obviously. But I think to be able to see the players and as you mentioned, it’s about what makes the best team possible on offense," Wilson said. "I think a lot of that is that it all goes together: offense, defense, special teams. I think the critical part is we have playmakers. We’ve got a great offensive line upfront with the block and doing their thing. Then with the run game and the pass game, and then we have a really great running back, ‘J Dub’ (RB Javonte Williams). So, I think a lot of that is to be physical, to set the tone being physical. Then when the ball is in the air, I know these guys will go up and get it.”

After playing a decade under high-energy coach Pete Carroll, Wilson's new partnership with Hackett should be an easy transition. The difference is, Hackett speaks Wilson's football language when it comes to offense, instead of needing a Rosetta Stone to get on the same page with a conservative-minded defensive coach like Carroll. 

High Expectations for Himself & his Teammates

Gabriel Christus/Gabriel Christus/DenverBroncos.com

Wilson sets the bar high. That's why the Seahawks missed the playoffs just twice during his 10-year stint as the franchise's quarterback.

Over that span, Wilson earned a whopping nine Pro Bowl selections. He understands the price to play and produce at the highest levels and those expectations aren't held strictly for himself but also his teammates, and, by implication, his coaches.

Wilson detailed what it takes to succeed in the NFL as a team, and what individual players can do to contribute to a collective that wins and wins "often."

“I think the first thing is knowledge of the game," Wilson said. "This game is about intellectual processing. How fast can you process what you see, what you know and what you studied? I think that ability to process everything is really critical. So, guys got to be really on their stuff every day in practice, it starts with the meetings. It starts with offseason; it starts with the weight room. Will you show up on time and be ready to do this, ready to do that? There’s little things like that, and that’s a really critical part to it."

The devil is in the details, they say, but perhaps a better way to say it is that success leaves clues. Paying close attention to the nuances of the game is how Wilson has risen above his peers and how he became the tide that raised all of Seattle's ships.

It's not just the games, but workouts and practice, too.

"I think that wild obsession with doing the little things right, it allows you to have the big things and the big moments as well," Wilson said. "I think ultimately, it’s about the tempo of practice. I really believe when fans, when people come to see us practice, they need to see a show. It’s a show. So that way when you go to the game, it’s already what you already know. So I think that ability to go from practice at the highest level, competing at the highest level with our defense, our offense, our special teams. How we go about it, how we communicate, how we process, how we pass it down the line, all that kind of stuff in terms of communication is really critical. So, I think how you really become great is the everyday little steps. The little steps become the big ones and that’s how you’re able to win often.”

Rebuts Seattle's Version of Trade Precursor

Gabriel Christus/Gabriel Christus/DenverBroncos.com

Wilson is obviously relieved and happy to be in Denver — a city he's always felt close to due to being drafted by the Colorado Rockies more than a decade ago. However, the events that led to Seattle trading him to Denver have been disputed in the court of public opinion by the Seahawks' brass.

Seattle said, "it was clear, he wanted this change" and while that might have eventually been true, Wilson rebutted the notion that he was the impetus for the biggest blockbuster trade in modern NFL history. 

“Yeah, I didn’t initiate it. It was definitely mutual,” Wilson said. “Along the way, there’s definitely been a lot of conversations and it hasn’t been initiated. But it is what it is. I’m just happy to be here, that’s all I know.”

Indeed, Wilson cares about the present and future. All that Emerald City water has now passed beneath the bridge and he's a Bronco. 

Still, the exact provenance of how Wilson — a franchise QB still in his prime — was allowed to leave his original NFL home, will continue to be debated and parsed. That's especially true if things don't go swimmingly for the new-look Seahawks and the Broncos light out for the territories with their fresh franchise signal-caller. 

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