Russell Wilson issues strong response to "pressure" he faces at Denver Broncos

24 August 2023 , 14:58

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Russell Wilson is preparing for his second NFL season with the Denver Broncos (Image: Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has opened up on how he deals with the pressure heading into the new NFL season.

Wilson and the Broncos are gearing up for the start of the regular season, which will be Wilson's second year in Mile High City following his trade from the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. The AFC West franchise decided to part with two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick and three players (Drew Lock, Noah Fant and Shelby Harris) in order to acquire Wilson.

As a result, there was a great deal of pressure on the shoulders of the veteran QB going into his new home. However, Wilson’s first year in Denver did not go fully to plan, but there is renewed hope for year two. Wilson has been working hard during the off-season to be ready for the new season while head coach Sean Payton has brought in plenty of changes that everyone connected with the Broncos will be hoping to bring a change in fortune following a 5-12 losing season last year.

Going into his second year in Denver, there is likely to be a sizeable amount of attention on how Wilson performs. But the 34-year-old says he is not phased by the pressure of helping the Broncos achieve a winning season. “Do I feel the pressure? No. I don’t run from it. I look forward to it. I run to it, if anything,” Wilson told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday.

“We as a team, we’re all in this together. We’re all searching for one thing and that’s to get better every day. I’m not looking too far ahead. All the guys are trying to learn as much as we can from today’s practice and use that experience.” The Broncos still have one more pre-season game to plan for ahead of the new campaign.

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The Los Angeles Rams await in a friendly on Saturday, and Wilson could have a role to play having taken part in the previous two pre-season games. All of that will serve as the build-up to the start of the 2023 regular season which begins on September 10. Wilson and the Broncos take on AFC West divisional rivals the Las Vegas Raiders in the Week One contest at Empower Field at Mile High.

Mark Wakefield