Former Badgers’ QB Benched Amid Hall of Fame Conversations, 0-3 Start

Wilson, an Ohio native, spent his first four collegiate seasons with the NC State Wolfpack where he also played baseball. Wilson transferred to Wisconsin to finish his collegiate career, which at the time was an intriguing move considering the fact that the Badgers notably have not fielded a baseball team since 1991, and Wilson would have to give up the sport. The quarterback opted to do so, and went on to have a very successful lone season with the Badgers before being selected in the third round of the NFL draft by Seattle.

The talented quarterback would go on to play 10 seasons with the Seahawks before notably joining the Denver Broncos following conversations regarding his abilities on the field and whether or not he still had an ‘It’ factor.

Can Russell Wilson Represent the Badgers in the NFL Hall of Fame Despite Difficult Later Years?

Wilson has been through plenty of adversity throughout his career, but none has been quite as taxing as his post-Seattle life following an ugly departure from the franchise. Wilson recorded a quarterback rating of 60.6 in his final season with the Seahawks in 2021 and has since recorded ratings of 38.7, 51.5, 47.9, and 34.0. The quarterback continues to look less and less prepared as time goes on with an increasing pick rate, a dropping completion percentage, and nearly no serious threat to opposing defenses on the ground.

For Wilson, the conversation moving forward will be about whether or not the quarterback has done enough to place himself into the Hall of Fame despite some of his struggles later in his career. Current Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner is another player who notably had some struggles during his career which included an 18 interception, 21 touchdown season in 2000. While Wilson has never won an MVP, if many quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame are given some leeway, Wilson might be given the same treatment.

The quarterback had some of his more productive years during the back-end of his time with Seattle, recording a career-high 40 passing touchdowns in 2020 and a career-low five interceptions in 2019. Wilson was the most efficient during his career when he notably had the legion of boom on defense, but managed to produce more without the dominant secondary help. Additionally, Wilson was also very productive on the ground in 2017 and 2020 in particular which is important to note when considering whether or not the quarterback is truly Hall of Fame worthy.