Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Bradley Chubb played only half a season with Russell Wilson. But he thinks most NFL fans got the Broncos quarterback so very wrong.

Wilson forced the Seahawks into trading him to Denver in March, 2022. The Broncos paid a ton in draft picks to acquire Wilson, the nine-time Pro Bowler, in hopes that the quarterback would change their offensive fortunes. Instead, for whatever reason, Wilson and the Broncos, as a team, were worse than before. The quarterback was an obvious scapegoat in a season that saw the Broncos fire their rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

Meanwhile, the Broncos traded Chubb, their first-round pick in 2018, to the Dolphins last November. Tyreek Hill, Miami’s top receiver, also does a popular podcast. Chubb was a guest this past week. Hill asked the obvious — what was Wilson like?

“He gets so much flak,” Bradley Chubb said of Russell Wilson. “It’s crazy, bro, because he do the absolute most that he can possibly do to make sure that he’s the best he possibly can be, you know what I mean? He doesn’t miss a step. When he has a fluke year like this, bro, you just have to chalk it up. Bro, you had a bad year. But it gets so glorified because of who he is, who he’s been, what he’s done.

“You have to look it as a nod to who you are as a person,” Chubb said of Wilson. ‘I’m on this pedestal, everybody wants to knock me down.’ That’s how it is with him. All the different allegations, he has to sit there and take it. It was dope to see how he just stayed the same person throughout it all. It was unfortunate that we just couldn’t reach the potential that we all thought we was going to be.”

It should be noted that Bradley Chubb and Russell Wilson are both North Carolina State alums, although they weren’t with the Wolfpack at the same time.

Maybe Wilson will be his old self this fall. The Broncos hired Sean Payton as the new head coach. And Payton is known for his offenses and his work with Drew Brees. And you could say Wilson has no where to go but up after last fall. He set career lows for completion percentage (60.5 percent) and touchdowns (16).

Meanwhile, Chubb also wants to prove he was worth the trade to the Dolphins. He wasn’t healthy during his first few games in Miami. The Dolphins hired Vic Fangio, an old Bronco coach, as their new defensive coordinator. So he’s expecting a bounce back.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Phil Foden lifts Manchester City to fourth consecutive English Premier League title
Dodgers add recently acquired left-hander to active roster
Report: 2023 No. 7 pick expected to terminate KHL contract, join Flyers
Mavericks advance to Western Conference Finals aided by controversial call late
Connor McDavid, Oilers hammer Canucks to force Game 7
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk epic increases excitement for potential rematch
Seize the Grey wins in muddy Preakness
Even Mike Budenholzer admits the Suns need a point guard
Watch: Juan Soto's first multi-homer game as a Yankee
Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa lead at PGA Championship
Knicks could get major boost for Game 7 showdown with Pacers
Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
Panthers star named winner of 2024 Selke Trophy
WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players
Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship
'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'
Blue Jays GM wants struggling club to feel 'massive sense of urgency'
Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury