Russell Wilson’s time with the Denver Broncos serves as a cautionary tale for the rest of the NFL. They made a historic trade to acquire him, shipping off two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, and three players to the Seahawks in exchange for Wilson.
That signifies going all in on the player. The expectation was immediately there for Wilson to carry the franchise, even if the roster wasn’t complete.
They traded away a significant amount of their draft ammunition, which could have been used to improve the team around Wilson. And to make matters worse, they turned around and gave him an historic contract extension, loaded with guarantees and among the highest average annual values in the league.