National Football League

Russell Wilson on his NFL future: ‘All I care about is winning’

Published Feb. 26, 2024 5:38 p.m. ET

Russell Wilson's 12th season as a pro was disastrous by his standards.

The former Super Bowl champion was made into a meme more times than he could count in 2023. He quarterbacked his team to a second-straight losing record (7-8 in his starts), was called out in the media by his head coach Sean Payton and ultimately finished out his campaign on the bench.

It was one of the most expensive benchings in modern sports history (Wilson raked in $37,000,000 last season). But the 35-year-old is still adamant that he can guide a 53-man roster to a title.

"I’ve got more fire in than ever, honestly," Wilson told "I Am Athlete's" Brandon Marshall. "Especially over the past two years of what I've gone through. Whether it's in Denver or somewhere else. I hope it's in Denver. I hope I get to finish there. I committed there, I wanted to be there. I want to be there."

His comments on the Broncos come just days after it was reported that he'd be willing to sign elsewhere on a minimum deal.

"Everybody I’ve talked to around the league expects the Denver Broncos at some point around the new league year in the next few weeks to rip the Band-Aid off and release Russell Wilson even though they owe him $39 million in guaranteed money," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported.

"But they can start new, he can go sign somewhere else. The feeling is he’ll sign for considerably less, maybe even the league minimum, because he’s got all that money in hand guaranteed. And so, he’s going to have options. The feeling I get from talking to teams and scouts is that he’s still an NFL starter, there will be a job somewhere for him."

Wilson has not given any insight into his feelings for playing elsewhere, but he told Marshall that his main priority was winning football games.

"For me it's about winning," he said. "Over the next five years I want to win two. I want to feel the chill of that trophy again. I love the city and everything else, but you also want to be in a pace that wants you too. The thing that I want to do is win. That's all I care about."

For Colin Cowherd, the best place for Wilson to do that would be Pittsburgh.

"First of all, the Steelers have an excellent roster," Cowherd said Monday on "The Herd."

"Russell Wilson is refined, he wins, he's efficient, he's accurate. He is a defying player, we know what he is. He's not in his prime, but he's not far past it. … When Russell went to Denver, he was viewed as a savior. That's not what he is here. Pittsburgh's winning with Kenny Pickett. They don't need a savior. … Pittsburgh's got talent, they are loaded on both sides. But what they don't have is dependability, maturity, experience, accuracy. … I think the Steelers works."