sport news Russell Wilson has no more excuses after $296m Denver Broncos move, says ... trends now
Maurice Jones-Drew has warned Russell Wilson that he faces being exposed this season following his big money move to the Denver Broncos.
After 10 years in Seattle the marriage turned sour for the 33-year-old quarterback, who signed a five-year, $296million deal in Denver.
Now in the brutal AFC West, and an equally cutthroat conference, Wilson and the Broncos face pressure and serious scrutiny from the off, with their season starting on Monday night with a trip back to Seattle.
‘I think this year is gonna really show if Russell Wilson is the elite guy that we all think he is,’ NFL Network analyst Jones-Drew told DailyMail.com.
Russell Wilson has a big season ahead with the Denver Broncos, says Maurice Jones-Drew
The 33-year-old quarterback Wilson has signed a five-year, $296m deal with the Broncos
Jones-Drew believes this is the season for Wilson to show he is truly an elite player
‘It's not to knock him because he's done some great things. But over the last couple years, it's kind of been a little up and down for him.
‘I think we give him a lot of the benefit of the doubt, right? Instead of watching the plan. I've called his games a couple of times. And there are some things that I've seen him do that really doesn't warrant all the praise that he gets, so we'll see if he can do it this year.’
Wilson took Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014, winning the former, but after finishing either first or second in the NFC West throughout Wilson’s time in Seattle, his spell ended on a sour note with a fourth-placed finish last year.
‘He’s done a great job in Seattle, don't get me wrong, but there was a lot of like, “Oh, I need this or I need that”.
‘Well, you have everything now in Denver, right? You got a running game, you have an offensive line. You have a defense, you have young receivers.
‘But, the one thing that he was always able to do was like scramble around - and it’s going to be tough to do that in the AFC.
‘You're talking about the defensive ends the Chargers have in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, or Max Crosby and Chandler Jones with the Raiders, even Chris Jones and Frank Clark in Kansas City.
‘On top of that, week after week, you’ve got to go out and outscore people. He plays in the AFC West, as well. So the AFC West plays the NFC West, which is still one of the toughest divisions in football right now.
