Russ has been a beast for the massive majority of his career, but the past two, even arguably three seasons, Russ has been on the decline. Russ would have easily made my top ten QB list five-six years ago. Maybe even top five.
Russ will turn 35 in November and I don't think he's aging all that gracefully. Russ has always been a pretty average pocket passer, but I'd say seventy percent of the reason he was so effective for so long was due to his remarkable footwork and pocket presence, just his mobility as a whole. So many of his best highlights involve him rolling out or extending a play with his feet. Entering his mid-thirties, I am starting to believe his speed and mobility is failing him.
Teams always used to worry about Russ extending a play, so even when Russ was in the pocket, defensive players had to respect Russ's legs. If Russ can't move as gracefully as he could in the past, teams will start to exploit that. Russ is only 5'11, so it's hard for him to see the field a lot of the time when just sitting in the pocket.
I don't wanna trash Russ completely, I know Russ is not going to go down without a fight. Russ has a pretty strong winning, championship mentality that I believe in. In 2012 as a rookie, Wilson was a total underdog and he totally proved everyone wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if he does it again. He needs to adapt to this new chapter of his career. He must be a better pure passer and be a true field general, and use his legs more economically. If he can adjust his play style and improve his weaknesses, I could see a career resurgence.
But all in all I admit Russ is not exactly trending up in my eyes. This is a big year for him and his legacy.
