I am not sure what is going on with Russell Wilson, but I don't think it is a simple as "he is done". Last season, he was 66.4%, 26 TD, 8 Int, 98 Rating. He had the 9th best rating in the league, 6th best among QBs with more than 10 games. He is 35. That is a pretty good season for a QB who is "done". There was clearly some disfunction between him and the coach.
A deal would have to work for both parties. The Pats are not going to want to offer multiple years, they just want a vet for 1 year really. They could draft a QB at #3 (and sit him a year) or not. Wilson would have to look at it as a year to restore his value or something. He is probably going to want to go to a team that at least has a chance to win (not the Pats) but think what it would do for his legacy if he came in an led the Pats to the playoffs or even something just short of the playoffs? I don't think that is unrealistic.
Hard to say what the Pats' record would have been if we had Wilson. There are several more games we win if we had even an average NFL QB. We are going to have to shore up the OL in any case but Wilson behind a decent OL, with a really good defense? Maybe a couple of second tier WRs through FA? To me, that is a respectable team while still allowing rebuilding through the draft. Take a QB at #3, then OL, Receivers, etc. through the rest of the draft. Don't go crazy in FA but bring in good solid players at positions of need who can contribute for several years.
Not saying this is the only path, but I would be fine with this path. And if the QB you get at #3 turns out to be good, you are on your way.
My one worry with Wilson as a bridge QB is that we've never really seen how he is as a mentor to younger QBs. I'd rather have someone who isn't as talented, but is really willing to help teach a top pick what it takes to be an NFL QB
And maybe that is Wilson, but I have my doubts
That really shouldn't matter. Farve didn't mentor Rodgers and Rodgers didn't mentor Love. Not sure Alex Smith mentored Mahomes. The young QB will learn just fine from the coaches and just watching. Wilson should just focus on what he needs to do. If Wilson was the back up to the new QB, that might be different. I feel like the whole "mentor" narrative is overblown. I would tell Russ Wilson that he isn't going to be asked to mentor anyone. Just play well and let the rookie watch and see how it is done.
I don't like the Favre/Rodgers comps, because those guys were actually good starters and the teams were competing. Alex Smith is a good point, Mahomes turned out (more than) fine. I think Smith's personality is a lot more amenable to being a mentor than Russ, though.
I don't think it really matters, though, because I can't see Russ signing here. And given that he's probably my last pick of the top QB FAs, I'm okay with that.
Do you really think it would have made any difference who was the starter in Mahomes' rookie season? If it had been Russell Wilson, would Mahomes not be as good? That is my point. Mahomes is good because he is good, not because he was mentored by Smith. If the Pats bring in a vet to start and draft a QB, the job of the vet QB is to win games, not mentor a rookie. There is no need for that. If it was a case where the rookie was starting, and the vet was the back up, then yes, part of the job of the back up is to help make the starter better, help prepare the starter, whatever. Like when Hoyer was here and he probably mentored Mac some.
If we get Russell Wilson, you expect him to start, no matter who we draft. And his job is to be the starting QB. The Rookie QB's job will be to support the starter and learn as much as he can along the way. The best possible thing for that rookie QB would be to have a chance to watch Wilson play well, watch how he prepares, how he reacts. If this rookie QB is going to be good, he'll be good, that will be enough. If the rookie QB doesn't "have it", all the mentoring in the world isn't going to make him good. And that should not be Russell Wilson's or any starting QB's problem.
Anyway, if it was me, that would be my message to Wilson. We are bringing you here to be the starter and win games. Let the coaches worry about developing the rookie. You just worry about being the best Russell Wilson you can be. And if you need to rookie to get you a towel, the rookie will get you a towel. Win games. Get us to the playoffs.
No, I agree that Mahomes was gonna be Mahomes no matter what. I also think having a true pro ahead of him like Smith might have made that transition easier, but you've pretty much convinced me that we don't need the starter to be a mentor (as long as they aren't an active detriment, but I cant think of any current FA QBs who would be).
I definitely don't want us bringing in a QB with the goal of them bringing us to the playoffs, though. I think that would be shortsighted and hurt our path to actually contending, which is one of the reasons that Russ wouldn't be my choice (and that I don't think we'd be Russ's choice). We need to improve and be more competitive, but we also need star talent and the best way to get that is higher picks. Get a couple of very good players in FA, give them front-loaded contracts (to save future cap space for later), and leave some positions pretty weak instead of bringing in good-not-great guys to fill those holes (we can fill them next off-season when we start to try and contend behind our second-year QB).
