Big Blue View
Russell Wilson, who spent 2025 with the New York Giants, has announced that he is leaving football and will go to work for CBS Sports. That has started a debate over whether or not Wilson is worthy of being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Mike Sando of The Athletic says that Wilson “went from Seattle Seahawks superstar to frequently mocked journeyman so quickly that only time will help process the implications in an even-handed manner.”
Sando says Wilson has a complicated path to becoming a Hall of Famer.
Sando summarizes Wilson’s chances this way:
Most Hall of Fame candidates fit into two categories: slam dunks and those needing some explanation.
The last 10 quarterbacks elected to the Hall of Fame as modern-era candidates could be instructive for Wilson.
Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Warren Moon, Dan Marino and John Elway all were in the top three in all-time passing yards when they retired. All but Moon were in the top three in passing touchdowns (fourth). No one is suggesting passing yards and passing touchdowns are advanced metrics, but in the cases of avowed top quarterbacks, it’s one way to separate them.
The other most recent inductees at the position — Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Warner — ranked 18th on average in passing yards (Kelly was highest at 10th) and 25th in passing touchdowns (Kelly was highest at 13th) when they retired.
Like Wilson, who ranks 16th in passing yards and 12th in passing touchdowns, their Hall cases were more nuanced.
• Kelly helped Buffalo reach four consecutive Super Bowls while leading high-powered offenses. That made him unique.
• Young was a two-time MVP and one-time Super Bowl MVP as the heir to Joe Montana in San Francisco. He threw a record six touchdown passes in a Super Bowl.
• Warner was also a two-time MVP and one-time Super Bowl MVP. He took two suffering franchises to three total Super Bowls as a former grocery bagger in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and his story became a movie.
• Aikman won three Super Bowls with the iconic Dallas Cowboys and was a Super Bowl MVP. He also was enshrined before statistics assumed their current prominent place in these discussions.
While deep postseason pushes helped Kelly, Young, Warner and Aikman, Wilson’s case could rest on him being a high-end dual-threat QB. And he did win a championship.
For now, Wilson is the former Seattle superstar who endured a disappointing end to his career. That’s not necessarily who he will be in five years, when Wilson becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame. The picture will be clearer then, and probably more favorable to his chances, despite the headwinds facing him now.
Andrew Perloff of Athlon Sports believes Wilson deserves Hall of Fame enshrinement:
There are only two explanations for not believing Russell Wilson deserves to be...
