Raiders free agency: Signing Russell Wilson would be catastrophic

Wilson's skills have diminished

As mentioned, Wilson is now one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL despite posting statistical numbers such as 3,070 passing yards and a 26/8 touchdown to interception ratio. These are numbers that only look good in the box score as the product on the field has been a disaster.

The biggest weakness of Wilson’s game on the field has always been his outright inability to play on schedule, within the structure of the offense and the play called as evidenced in his time to throw which stands at a whopping 3.06 seconds, good for 30th in the NFL. For reference, Tua Tagovailoa has the NFL’s fastest time to throw at 2.36 seconds. 

Of course, a quarterback's time to throw numbers is not entirely indicative of their talent as Houston’s C.J. Stroud holds the ball for an average of 3.04 seconds. However, it is how Wilson achieves his number that hurts the offense as a whole. 

Known for his ability to scramble around and make huge plays when things break down, Wilson is no longer a good enough athlete to create the big chunks with regularity and often ends up taking a sack which he did 45 times last season, fourth most in the NFL despite having one of the best offensive lines in the league. 

Much of the issues Wilson has playing from the pocket and executing the play as called likely comes from his height. At 5’11”, he is on the short end of the spectrum as quarterbacks go which could be the root cause of his hesitancy to throw over the middle of the field. This issue has plagued him his entire career and quite honestly has held his offenses back. 

To acquire Russell Wilson is to run one kind of offense. Nothing will happen on time, sacks will be taken in abundance and the middle of the field will be entirely avoided. This is the “Russell Wilson offense” and it is the only kind he can run.