Russell Wilson wants it to happen.
The Broncos want it to happen.
It’s just a little too early at the moment.
The Wilson-Broncos honeymoon is sizzling, and they’re hoping it materializes into a long-term marriage.
“I’m excited to be here for a long time, and I think that will definitely happen so we’ll see where it goes,” Wilson told The Athletic.
Broncos general manager George Paton pulled into the team parking lot at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday before the first practice of training camp. He could only shake his head in amusement to see Wilson had already beaten him to the facility.
“You hear all the stuff about the worker and the leader, but until you see it day in and day out, the obsessiveness,” Paton told The Athletic. “He’s here all the time. He’s obsessive with work. People always say how hard they work, how they’re always there grinding and it’s all about ball. But with him, it’s all ball. It’s his No. 1 priority beside his family and his faith.”
Paton and head coach Nathaniel Hackett were in sync with their offseason pursuit of prying Wilson from the Seahawks. They did plenty of background work to make sure they hadn’t missed anything, but the obvious was staring them in the face. Wilson solidified himself as a franchise quarterback in his second season in 2013 when he helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl, and he’s been a Pro Bowler in nine of his 10 seasons.
Paton and Hackett knew who they were getting, but they’ve continued to marvel at the opportunity to work directly with the 33-year-old for several months.