Broncos' Russell Wilson talks pressure amid career uncertainty

Quarterback Russell Wilson may not have a long-term home with the Denver Broncos beyond the upcoming season but welcomes all that comes with that reality. 

"Do I feel the pressure? No," Wilson explained on Wednesday, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I don’t run from it. I look forward to it. I run to it, if anything."

Wilson originally joined the Broncos from the Seattle Seahawks via a blockbuster trade completed in March 2022, and the 34-year-old later signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $245M with $165M guaranteed before he produced the worst campaign, to date, of his pro career. 

According to ESPN stats, Wilson finished the 2022 regular season ranked 27th out of 31 eligible players with a 36.7 adjusted QBR and 31st overall with a 60.5% completion percentage. Across 15 games, he threw 16 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. 

The Broncos hired Sean Payton as their new head coach this offseason, and it has since subsequently been reported and suggested that Wilson essentially is "on a one-year audition" working under Payton. 

Wilson is doing whatever possible to ignore such outside noise while he focuses on the task at hand and works to reclaim the form that made him a nine-time Pro Bowl selection during his Seattle tenure. 

"We as a team, we’re all in this together," Wilson continued during his comments. "We’re all searching for one thing and that’s to get better every day. I’m not looking too far ahead. All the guys are trying to learn as much as we can from today’s practice and use that experience." 

The Broncos enter their bye after a Week 8 home game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 29. Depending on how Wilson performs over the season's first half, Payton theoretically could use the break to get backup Jarrett Stidham ready to start at the Buffalo Bills in Week 10 on Nov. 13.