The sad saga of Russell Wilson appears to be coming to an end with the Broncos

Russell Wilson is still the best quarterback in Seattle Seahawks history. His numbers are so much better than any other Seattle quarterback since 1976 that even arguing Matt Hasselbeck or Dave Krieg or anyone else was better is just hate directed at Wilson. He also helped the Seahawks win the franchise's only Super Bowl.

No, Wilson was not the reason Seattle beat the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl for the 2013 season; the defense was. But Wilson did what was asked of him and led an efficient offense that scored more than enough points to help Seattle win. But then Seattle changed their offense in 2015 to have Wilson throw more and while Wilson put up good numbers, the overall team digressed.

Wilson clearly began to think he was worthy of a high volume of passes, but that was never what he did best. His blindness to that is part of what got him traded to the Denver Broncos in the offseason after 2022. Wilson throws a great deep ball but doesn't see the middle of the field well, and he takes far too many sacks. But his real problem was his ego and thinking he was bigger than the team, especially when he reportedly went to Seahawks chairperson Jody Allen after 2022 and tried to get head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider fired.

Russell Wilson appears done with the Denver Broncos

Instead, Wilson was moved to Denver, and Carroll and Schneider kept their jobs and led Seattle to a surprising playoff berth last year. Seattle could also go back to the postseason in 2023 as well. Meanwhile, Wilson was horrible in Denver in 2022 and the Broncos' poor play gave Seattle a high pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. The Seahawks won the Russell Wilson trade and it was one-sided.

Wilson's out-of-control ego didn't stop when he was traded to the Broncos, however. He wanted to have his own office at Broncos headquarters and the organization gave it to him. He saw himself as separate from the team simply because he was the quarterback. Tom Brady would never have done such a thing.

Then the Broncos hired Sean Payton as head coach this past offseason and Wilson and Payton's ego never seemed to mesh. Plus, Payton was Wilson's boss and Payton was never going to let Wilson have control of the team. The odd thing is that while Denver is a bit better in 2023, though very unlikely to make the playoffs, Wilson's numbers are much better because Payton is using him in a way the Seahawks did in the early 2010s. Until now, that is.

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and multiple other reports, the Broncos are going to bench Wilson for the final two games of this year. The reason is that Denver does not want to risk Wilson to injury because then they would be on the hook for nearly $40 million that would be vested in March of 2024. Denver is almost definitely going to move on from Wilson this offseason and would rather eat about $80 million in dead cap than have Russell Wilson on their team.

Wilson is not a bad quarterback, but he also isn't as great a quarterback as he thinks he is. Maybe Wilson having to find a new job just two years after being traded from the Seahawks will be good for him. Sometimes being humbled can help a person long-term.

The Seahawks take on the Steelers this week and FanDuel Sportsbook is giving you a $150 bonus if Seattle wins! Deposit $10 or more and bet at least $5 on the Seahawks to win and you'll receive an additional $150 in bonus bets if they do. Sign up for FanDuel today!

Read more from 12th Man Rising