NFL analyst says Russell Wilson is a ‘no-doubt’ Hall of Famer

From the moment former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson announced his retirement from the NFL last week, the debate began: Is he a Hall of Famer?

Stacy: What the Russell Wilson HOF debate should be focused on

Wilson’s career resume paints a strong case. Known for his immaculate deep passes and Houdini-like scrambling ability, Wilson ranks 16th all-time among NFL quarterbacks in passing yards (46,966), 12th in touchdown passes (353), fourth in rushing yards (5,568), 13th in total offense (48,785), fifth in passer rating (99.3) and tied for ninth in game-winning drives (40).

In addition, Wilson is the only player in NFL history to reach both 35,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards. He quarterbacked the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances and the franchise’s first Super Bowl title. And along the way, he received three top-four finishes in Offensive Player of the Year voting and was the NFL’s 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year.

However, the biggest case against Wilson is how dramatically his career fell off after being traded from Seattle to the Denver Broncos in 2022. Following his decade-long run of success in the Emerald City, Wilson went just 17-27 as a starter over the final four seasons of his 14-year career. He went 11-19 as Denver’s starter in 2022-23, 6-5 as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starter in 2024 and 0-3 as the New York Giants’ starter in 2025.

So, does Wilson deserve to be in Canton one day?

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob last week, doesn’t think it should be a question.

“I think he’s a no-doubt Hall of Famer,” Zierlein said. “I felt like during his time, … Russell was chronically underrated. His ability to create explosive plays with his feet through the air, to extend drives on critical third downs, his touchdown-to-interception ratio was incredible over an extended period of time.

“I think if you’re objective and you operate without any bias, there was just no question that he deserved to be in a conversation for one of the five best quarterbacks during his time,” he added. “He just had an extended run where he could make positive plays for his team and win games for his team when everything wasn’t going smoothly around him.

“So yeah, I think he’s definitely a Hall of Famer.”

Listen to the full conversation with NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein at this link or in the audio player above. Tune into Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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