With the Combine going on in Indianapolis this week, the NFL world has been pretty active recently. Here’s some news from this week in the offseason across the league.
Denver Broncos decide to cut Russell Wilson
Although this news came at kind of a weird time, it’s nothing surprising. Wilson once stated in an interview that he’d lead the Broncos to two Super Bowls in his five years with the team, but in his two years with the team Wilson has led the Broncos to only 11 wins. That’s terrible for professional standards and is simply unacceptable for such a good player. While Wilson is obviously a talented quarterback that definitely has a few more good seasons left in the tank, I don’t think Denver was ever the right fit.
The 2022 team struggled due to Nathaniel Hackett’s inexperience as a head coach, and Wilson never really found his rhythm in the offense. However, there was hope in the 2023 season, and Wilson did lead the team on an impressive five game win streak. Though, in the end, the Broncos fell short of short-live fan expectations, and I think this was because Wilson and Payton’s personalities didn’t mix well as all Wilson’s career with the. Broncos will go down as one of the biggest “What Ifs?” in NFL history (as well as one of the worst trades ever), and hopefully Denver will be able to rebound for next year and select a promising quarterback in the draft.
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers agree to contract extension
On Monday, WR Mike Evans resigned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a 2-year/$52M extension. This was big news since the extension came a week before Evans’ eligibility to explore free agency, but I think it’s the right call to stay in Tampa. Evans has consistently been a top-10 receiver in the league, going ten consecutive seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards as well as averaging 0.62 touchdowns per game in his career. There’s certainly hope with Tampa’s offense, especially if they continue to use QB Baker Mayfield and RB Rachaad White like they did last year, so it’s not like Evans is throwing away years in his career. I’m happy that we’ll be able to see more great years of Mike Evans, and it’s also a bonus that his yearly rivalry with New Orleans’ Marshon Lattimore has been renewed.
Texas WR Xavier Worthy sets new 40-yard dash record at the NFL Combine
Lastly, at the NFL Combine, Texas WR Xavier Worthy broke the 40-yard dash record with a time of 4.21 seconds, passing Washington WR John Ross’s time of 4.22 seconds. Worthy’s junior season at Texas was really impressive, finishing the year with 75 receptions, 1014 yards, and 5 touchdowns, also averaging 13.5 yards per reception. Worthy’s draft stock has certainly gone up after this performance, joining other wider receivers such as Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison and Washington’s Rome Odunze as the top prospects in their class. There’s definitely potential that this might be a “one and done” type performance, but I have faith that Worthy will go on to do great things at the next level.
