Broncos Get Wilson!

[CEH]

the press conference was awesome

we are a lucky fan base.

 

[MileHigh64]

the press conference was awesome

we are a lucky fan base.

I couldn't agree more. Also get great organizational vibes from Paton and Hackett. 2022 season could be a special year for us. Finally!

 

[Robotech]

Congrats, guys! Thank you for taking him out of the NFC West.

 

[Mountain Bronco]

the press conference was awesome

we are a lucky fan base.

Nice to see three very intelligent well spoken individuals at the 3 key spots in this organization.

 

[SpiritOf77]

Nice to see three very intelligent well spoken individuals at the 3 key spots in this organization.

I remember watching an extended interview with Russell Wilson a few years back, and in addition to thinking "damn, I wish he was a Bronco", I was really impressed by how he spoke so eloquently and so respectfully of the game, and of family, which I think spills over into a bond with the team ..

If I didn't know who he was, and you told me he was a world chess champ or a renowned psychiatrist, it would have made perfect sense

 

[PumpFake]

There goes Von. See thread.

 

[Orange Crush77]

the press conference was awesome

we are a lucky fan base.

Cliff notes?

 

[CEH]

Cliff notes?

why come to the AFCW? to compete with the best. not afraid of anyone


i want every play to go to the house

i want to play 10 more years and win 3-4 Super bowls

denver is close just need to learn how those 2-3 plays a game is the difference

gushed over the WRs and really gushed over JWill

loves the D

wanted to come to Denver as he has a no trade


watched all games last year including pre season to understand talent of team including hidden talent maybe just played in preseaon


was a rockie 20 years ago so has fond
memories of Colorado

loves talking ball with Hackett


Let’s ride

 

[Racer8825]

Decent offense around Russell Wilson. I'm sure they'll add more pieces around him in the draft.

 

[PumpFake]

Decent offense around Russell Wilson. I'm sure they'll add more pieces around him in the draft.

Do we need another target to take the top of the defense? Hamler’s availability has been tenuous at best.

 

[Racer8825]

Do we need another target to take the top of the defense? Hamler’s availability has been tenuous at best.

You can't forget about Courtland Sutton. He's been very impressive for the Broncos as well

 

[MileHigh64]

why come to the AFCW? to compete with the best. not afraid of anyone


i want every play to go to the house

i want to play 10 more years and win 3-4 Super bowls

denver is close just need to learn how those 2-3 plays a game is the difference

gushed over the WRs and really gushed over JWill

loves the D

wanted to come to Denver as he has a no trade


watched all games last year including pre season to understand talent of team including hidden talent maybe just played in preseaon


was a rockie 20 years ago so has fond
memories of Colorado

loves talking ball with Hackett


Let’s ride

My favorite quote: "I'm not afraid of anyone" and "Let's ride" (said this one a couple of times). If you want to have hope and optimism going into the new season, I highly recommend watching the presser.

 

[SpringStein]

Recommended article:

Broncos explain how they had to keep Russell Wilson trade a secret to pull it off

Rumors had the Broncos pursuing quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but Russell Wilson was their target all along and keeping that a secret enabled Denver to complete the deal with Seattle.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[MileHigh64]

Recommended article:

Broncos explain how they had to keep Russell Wilson trade a secret to pull it off

Rumors had the Broncos pursuing quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but Russell Wilson was their target all along and keeping that a secret enabled Denver to complete the deal with Seattle.

sports.yahoo.com

Wow! Great article. Paton continues his climb into Denver immortality. We've got our QB!

 

[Mingo]

I'd encourage everyone to see the Wilson welcoming press conference, It will fire you up to hear it, I was thinking Hackett was in good hands having Wilson as the QB. Wilson has already scouted all of last year's Bronco's preseason and regular season games 3 times. He's committed.

When asked if he was worried about playing in the AFC west - he said - he wanted to play against the best.

 

[SpringStein]

From O’Halloren at the Post:

In mid-January, while he led a coast-to-coast coaching search, Broncos general manager George Paton tasked himself and his personnel department to evaluate every quarterback scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and every quarterback who could be available in a trade.

Even Russell Wilson.

“We never thought Russell would be traded, but you heard (things) so you’re always going through the process for guys who could be traded although you doubt they will be,” Paton said.

It was real, though. The Seahawks’ willingness to trade Wilson, their Super Bowl-winning face of the franchise, was real. The Broncos’ urgency to go all in, to keep up with the AFC West arms race that has contributed to a six-year playoff drought, was real. And Wilson’s enthusiasm about joining a new team, thus waiving his no-trade clause, was real.

It became officially real Wednesday, eight days after the deal was agreed-to, when the Broncos acquired Wilson for quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris, two first- and second-round picks apiece and a fifth-round selection.

During a phone interview with The Denver Post, Paton walked through a process that kicked into gear at the Senior Bowl in late January, continued at the scouting combine in early March and was finalized a day after Paton returned from Indianapolis.

“It was a little surreal,” he said of the moments after the deal was completed. “Everybody was exhausted and excited at the same time.”

Seahawks general manager John Schneider, believing the Broncos would pursue Wilson if he was made available, texted Paton to meet at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

“That’s when he asked if we would have some interest,” Paton said.

The answer was a resounding yes. Did Paton think it was a long shot?

“You don’t know,” he said. “But I’ve known John a long time and trust him and he mentioned we were one of a few teams Russell was potentially open to moving to.”

Upon returning from Mobile, Paton continued the evaluation process with coach Nathaniel Hackett and his offensive staff. Wilson’s first losing season was 2021, but Paton saw the “same” player who had eight seasons of at least 10 wins

“The finger (injury), it looked like he came back a little early (last year), but still a really good athlete, elite accuracy and arm strength and probably one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL,” Paton said. “I thought he was still in his prime and still an elite quarterback.”

The sides remained in contact as the calendar flipped to February. Paton said there was never a step backward during negotiations. Paton knew it would take a combination of players and picks — and a lot of both — to get a deal done.

“We went back and forth prior to getting to the combine,” he said. “I don’t know how many times (the sides talked), but we were well on our way prior to the combine and we had exchanged different proposals.

“It heated up at the combine, for sure.”

Throughout the process, the usually collaborative Paton closed ranks within the Broncos, leaning on advisor John Elway and assistant general manager Darren Mougey.

“It was tough because I couldn’t really let them all in on it,” Paton said. “It was something we had to keep in a really tight group, 3-4 of us. I just felt there was too much to lose if this got out. It was a credit to everybody involved that, shoot, this went on for a month and it never leaked and that’s really rare.”

Aiding Paton in being able to give up five picks was last November’s Von Miller trade to the Los Angeles Rams that netted the Broncos second- and third-round selections next month. The Broncos still hold those.

Does the Wilson trade happen without the Miller trade?

“It would have been harder because now, we still have a second, two in the third round and two in the fourth round and we still have needs to fill,” Paton said. “Would we have gotten the trade done? I don’t know. I’m sure we would have still been all in, but it would have been tougher.”

Once the parameters of the trade were “really close” to being finalized, the Broncos’ final task was getting Wilson to waive his no-trade clause. The Seahawks gave the Broncos permission to talk to Wilson.

“We told Russell what we’re all about here,” Paton said. “He had done his homework on our team, but we had to tell him about our culture, what we’re looking for and he shared what he’s looking for. We told him what we wanted to do here, what we wanted to accomplish and how we were going to do it.”


Paton was presented a hypothetical: Would his focus have shifted if Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was equal parts available and wanted to play for the Broncos?

“Russell was our No. 1 priority from the moment we learned he was available,” Paton said. “We were consumed with getting him here to Denver.”

When Rodgers’ camp announced his decision to stay with the Packers on the morning of March 8, Wilson was already on a plane to Denver. Once at the Broncos’ facility, the Seahawks emailed the document waiving his no-trade clause, which he signed and returned.

Paton called Lock, Fant and Harris to inform them of the trade.

“That was really difficult because you get invested in these players and they give you everything they have,” Paton said. “Picks are hard (to trade), but players are even harder because you’re emotionally invested. It’s not easy and it’s unique to other occupations.”

Paton said the building was “buzzing” when word of the trade filtered out, and it was clear Denver would have a franchise quarterback in the fold for the first time since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season.

On the night of March 8, Wilson and the Broncos had a celebratory dinner at Elway’s restaurant.

“It was just a great dinner, everybody getting to know each other — Russell and (wife) Ciara and the coaches,” Paton said. “Russell just told us what he’s all about and what he is as a person and what he wants to do with his career.”

Just as quickly, Paton pivoted. Thus the life of an NFL general manager.

“I hate to say it, but you just go on to the next (move),” he said. “It’s huge and it really hasn’t set in yet because Russell hasn’t been around here much, but it was onto free agency. There wasn’t time to sit here and go, ‘Wow, this is really cool,’ because we need more than just Russell.”

 

[PumpFake]

Enjoy!

 

[PumpFake]

 

[SpringStein]

They should be fine when they sell their $34MM mansion in Seattle.

 

[megalodon30]

“Wow! What a mansion!”

-Albert Wesker