Is Russell Wilson's legacy on the line in 2023?

The 2022 season was an unsuccessful one for Russell Wilson. 

In his first season with the Denver Broncos, the star quarterback put up career lows in several stats, including touchdown passes (16), passer rating (84.4) and completion percentage (60.5). The Broncos went 5-12 and first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired with two weeks left in the season. 

Sean Payton's arrival in Denver has led some to think that Wilson will turn things around this season, as he'll be working under a Super Bowl-winning coach. Skip Bayless is among that group, saying that while he thinks Wilson might have "hit that quarterback wall," Payton will "get the very best out of Russell Wilson at this stage and age." He also added that he thinks the Broncos will be a surprise playoff team. 

However, Bayless' new "Undisputed" co-host Richard Sherman saw it differently. Wilson's former Seahawks teammate said there's a lot on the line for the quarterback in 2023 and is doubtful that he'll live up to expectations. 

"There's a lot of pressure on it, a whole lot of pressure," Sherman said. "This is his legacy on the line at this point. You've got to separate the two eras in his career. You've got the Legion of Boom era, so we'll call that the seven years from when he got drafted through 2017. The ‘Let Russ Cook Era’ from 2017 to 2021, when he leaves Seattle. 

"Then you've got this era in Denver where he has a chance to cement his legacy in the biggest of ways. You're in a tough division. Justin Herbert's in that division. [Patrick] Mahomes, the Super Bowl champ, is in that division, and you have to find a way to win. Now, you've got Sean Payton. You had your first-year struggles. They were last in scoring, last in a lot [of categories] and the worst year of his career."

The Broncos have already had a rough go of it in training camp, losing Tim Patrick (Achilles) and Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) to injuries. Both are expected to be out for an extended period of time. And while there are some elements of the roster Sherman likes, he thinks those injuries, plus some of their talent deficiencies in other areas on offense, will prevent Payton from getting the most out of Wilson. 

"He's losing his No. 2 and No. 3 receivers," Sherman said. "He still has his No. 1 receiver, but that offensive line, which was an Achilles' heel for this team last year, is the same, if not worse. Garrett Bolles is coming off an injury.

" … They still have a fantastic defensive front, a [great] secondary and a great [defensive] team. But I don't see Sean Payton being able to turn this around for him with all of these obstacles."