National media and sports fans are finally coming to terms with what Seattle Seahawks fans have known for years: Russell Wilson is elite and deserves to be in the MVP conversation.
While he hasn’t always put up the biggest numbers, he is, by definition, the most valuable player to his team’s success. If you don’t believe me, watch any single Seahawks game from 2016-2018.
Those teams looked at best to be six or seven-win teams, but because of Wilson, the Seahawks stayed relevant while the team transitioned from a bruising defensive team to a team which relies on a lights-out offense. The Legion of Boom is long gone, but the Seahawks stayed consistently relevant.
Before going on, I am a Seahawks fan from Seattle. Clearly, I’m biased towards Russell Wilson; however, I wholeheartedly believe he has consistently been underrated throughout his entire career.
Wilson has been in the NFL nine seasons, and he’s never missed a start. That includes him getting the start over Matt Flynn, who the Seahawks had just signed to a three-year $19 million deal that offseason. He overtook Flynn on the depth chart after just four preseason games. Not only does he play in games, he’s only missed two practices in his career, which he missed for funerals. He’s done this despite injury in his career. In 2016 alone, he battled through a high-ankle sprain, a strained pectoral and an MCL sprain. Simply put, he’d be durable if he was just a pocket passer, but he redefines durability for a mobile quarterback.
If durability doesn’t excite you for some strange reason, maybe seeing the quarterbacks who have garnered MVP votes during Wilson’s career will. The most egregious are Derek Carr, Tony Romo, Dak Prescott and Carson Palmer. Those four players received votes from 2014-2016. Their average season was 3995 yards, 30 TDs, 7.5 Ints on 497.75 attempts. Russell Wilson’s average season during those three years 3906.3 yards, 25 TDs, 8.7 Ints on 493.7 attempts.
His best season of the three years was 2015. In 2015, he put up more yards and touchdowns, on fewer attempts, than the average season of those MVP vote getters. If all that isn’t bad enough, his own teammates get more MVP recognition than him. Linebacker Bobby Wagner has more MVP votes in his career than Russell Wilson.
I get it, you don’t win MVP on makeup votes alone. However, I don’t think this attention is a make up for anything. Wilson just finally put up numbers that simply can’t be ignored. He is off to such a good start. I’ll compare him to Peyton Manning’s 2013 MVP season, which is widely regarded as the best statistical passing season in NFL history.
Through seven games, Manning threw for 2565 yards, 25 TDs, 3 INTs, 71.6% completion percentage and -23 rushing yards, obviously not a huge threat with his legs. Through seven games for Wilson this season, he has thrown for 2151 yards, 26 TDs, 6 Ints, 71.5% completion percentage and 260 rushing yards. It’s not quite as good, but it’s certainly worth a comparison.
It makes absolutely no sense how a seven-time pro bowler and Super Bowl Champion had to put up numbers at a historic pace just to get in the MVP conversation, but that’s the reality for Wilson.
However, for the MVP argument, seven games of cooking opposing defenses is more valuable than eight years of consistent success. From Raleigh to Madison, Wisconsin to Seattle, Wilson has always performed, and it’s time he finally gets his respect.
