Brady and Rodgers are far from washed up. Wilson and Wentz on the other hand …

2022 stat line: five touchdowns, three interceptions, 58.6 completion %, 7.3 yards per attempt, 83.4 passer rating

That sound you hear is the Walton Family’s lawyers frantically trawling through Russell Wilson’s contract extension to figure out if there’s an early escape clause. In case you’ve forgotten: Wilson’s new deal means he’s on the books in Denver for seven years, at a total cost of $245m – an average of $43.5m per season.

It has been a disastrous start to his time in Denver. Wilson has shown an unwillingness to evolve his game, making him a wonky fit with Nathaniel Hackett’s particular style of offense. It’s not all been on Wilson, of course. The general operation of the offense – penalties, getting into the right plays, time management – has been poor, and the Broncos once-vaunted run game has fallen apart. But the whole point of trading a treasure trove of draft picks and players for Wilson is that he’s supposed to be able to paper over some of those concerns. Instead, the Broncos are averaging 16 points per game, the lowest mark in the league.

What’s the issue? Stubbornness? Declining athleticism? Poor decision-making? A lack of trust in the offense? A lack of trust in individual receivers?

The answer is most likely a combination of all of the above. The most pressing concern: his performance v pressure has cratered. A Russell Wilson who can no longer move to avoid pressure, to extend plays, to pick up chunk yardage, isn’t really Russell Wilson.

In the medium term, subbing out Hackett for a coach more in-sync with Wilson’s style makes sense. But that won’t cover up the quarterback’s declining play under pressure or his creaking legs. Oh, and the team still owes multiple draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks and