At this stage, Russell Wilson has seen it all. From experiencing the highest of highs with the Seattle Seahawks to the lowest of lows with the Denver Broncos, and then rediscovering himself with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It wasn’t an easy ride for him, but he managed to find his rhythm back in the end.
Now that he has won three consecutive games as a Steeler, Russell sat with Hannah Storm to discuss his haunting ride with the Broncos and how he overcame that ordeal.
Those two years were certainly his most difficult in the NFL. Playing through a torn lat in his first year there, he then played well in year two but failed to lead the team to victory. Although it wasn’t easy, he left no stone unturned to revive his career from the ashes.
He made sure to play his best ball after the Broncos told him that he could get benched for the remaining nine games if he didn’t change the injury guarantee clause in his contract.
“I knew that that may be the end at that moment. I didn’t want to believe it. And I wasn’t going to let anybody else feel it, or sense it,” Russell said about his last stretch with the Broncos.
Talking about adversity, it appeared as if Russ had become an expert in how to deal with it. He explained how “sometimes the things that are the most rewarding are the spaces and places that people doubt and worry about.”
He expressed that one can let the adversity scar them or get to the point where they start believing what other people talk about them. When asked if he felt the same during those two years, he replied, “Absolutely not. I just don’t believe the negativity.”
However, as Russ looked back at his stint in Denver, he stated that the experience was not all bad since he got to “meet some amazing, amazing friends and teammates. I mean just some of the best guys that I know.” He named Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Garrett Bolles as the ones who were in his inner circle at the Broncos.
Russell talks about his mantra of success
Wilson ventured into the unknown after he signed with the Steelers with no guarantees of a starting job. Yet it was Coach Tomlin’s faith in him that gave him a chance and he didn’t disappoint since then. However, all of it couldn’t have happened had Russ given up on himself after two long years of suffering.
Russell has been vocal about attaining positivity as one of the strongest mantras to success. He can be seen practicing positivity, but not many people believe in him.
“I think a lot of people think it’s fake. And I think people think that being positive all the time like how is that somebody. No, I just believe in great things. I believe in just having great faith.”
Believe it or not, Russ just showed that his mantra of positivity is foolproof.