The circumstances suggest that, after Aaron Rodgers decided to stay with the Packers, the Broncos quickly pivoted to Russell Wilson. The Broncos insist that Wilson was Plan A all along.
A week of whispers to that effect became a full-throated proclamation by G.M. George Paton on Wednesday, during the press conference that introduced Wilson as the new quarterback in Denver.
“Once we knew that Russell could be available, he was our No. 1 target, he was our priority for the offseason,” Paton said. “We were going to do anything it took to get Russ. It’s just unique that you can trade a quarterback == a franchise quarterback — in his prime, and we just felt that we had to take that chance. Just watching Russell this year, once we realized he was available, you dig into the tape. He has elite arm strength, elite accuracy. We feel he has the best deep ball in the NFL. Then, you watch him off schedule, his eyes and his instincts and the play-making ability. The ‘it’ factor that…