At some point, it might be OK to start feeling sorry for Russell Wilson. That might not happen until after his career is done. After all, he built a lot of goodwill with Seattle Seahawks fans while becoming the best quarterback in franchise history. That seems like decades ago.
Wilson lost a bunch of goodwill by trying to have head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider fired. He pretended he didn't think he was bigger than the team, but his actions spoke otherwise. Instead, Seattle fired him and traded him to the Denver Broncos, and his career hasn't been the same since.
Wilson seemingly isn't a bad person (one would have to know him closely to know that), but he isn't the best teammate. In Denver, he thought he needed his own office. With his latest team, the New York Giants, all the quarterbacks took a photo together before the season, except there was no Russell Wilson.
Coincidence? Unlikely.
Seattle Seahawks icon Russell Wilson could finally be done in the NFL
But the Giants made one thing painfully obvious about their feelings about Wilson, a quarterback, along with Jameis Winston, whom they signed in free agency this past offseason. The former Seahawks quarterback started for three games and was benched for a rookie.
In Week 13, though, Russell Wilson sank to a new low in his career. He was a healthy scratch for the first time. The next step would likely be that he is simply released. The quarterback got old fast. He can't move as he once did, and his accuracy has waned.
Most likely, the best quarterback in Seattle Seahawks history has played his last down in the NFL. No team is likely to pick him up after he is done with the Giants. People have seen enough. Maybe he will lower his standards enough to accept a backup role somewhere, but should he?
No. He shouldn't. The truth is that with the Seahawks, Wilson was trending toward a Pro Football Hall of Fame career. He set Seattle records for a quarterback in passing yards, touchdowns, quarterback rating, and completion percentage. Most importantly, he won at a higher percentage than any other QB.
Maybe he comes back to Seattle to fully close old wounds, signs a one-day deal to retire as a member of the Seahawks, and moves on with his life. Again, he isn't a bad person. He simply isn't a good quarterback anymore.