Broncos’ Russell Wilson expresses hope of playing at least another decade in the NFL

Abraham Smith

Russell Wilson is about to start his 11th NFL season, but he doesn’t seem planning on finishing it any time soon.

Wilson touched on his future in passing a press conference at Broncos training camp Thursday. He was first asked how things had come together in his freshman season in Denver, and he replied that his time in the NFL had helped him adjust to a new team.

Then Wilson snuck into this tidbit: He’s aiming to extend his playing career by at least another decade if all goes well.

I have hopefully another whole 10 to 12 years left to play.

Wilson is 33 years old, so adding at least a decade to his career would give him a target retirement age of 43. Only seven NFL quarterbacks have played past 43, with Tom Brady being the most notable.

Wilson was blessed with good health throughout his NFL career. He has made 158 of 161 potential regular season starts in his first 10 seasons. If this luck lasts and he can protect himself while climbing, he will have a chance to achieve this goal.

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The timing of Wilson’s claim should not be ignored. His mention of another decade of gaming comes shortly after the NFL officially sanctioned the Broncos’ ownership change to a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton.

Walton is the richest man in the NFL with a net worth of $59.8 billion. Wilson has just two years left on the four-year, $140 million extension he signed with the Seahawks in 2019. So his comment could be that he is looking for another extension.

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Broncos CEO Greg Penner this week praised Wilson’s skills and leadership but declined to discuss a potential extension with the team’s new franchise quarterback.

“It’s crucial to have a great quarterback in this league and it’s a tremendous advantage for us to come into this organization with Russell,” Penner said, per ProFootballTalk. “On our first diligent drive here in May, one of the first people to walk into the hallway was Rob [Walton]carri [Walton Penner] and I was here, was Russell.

We immediately got a sense of how positive he is as a leader. He’s just such a dynamic person. I can’t wait to see him on the field. I don’t know how much we’ll see of him on the pitch on Saturday, but we’re looking forward to it.

There is nothing to be said about his contract at this point.

Perhaps their mood is changing now that Wilson has hinted that the end of his career isn’t near.

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If not, Wilson has two more seasons left and doesn’t seem overly focused on signing a new deal. What is more urgent for him is to intervene in the Broncos’ system. In his opinion, it went well.

“It was a great time,” he said. “I feel great. I feel my best ever, so strong, feel fast, feel confident. No fear. Feel like a winner.”

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