Arizona Cardinals fans should not have celebrated the Wilson trade

When the Seahawks shipped Russell Wilson to the Broncos, Arizona Cardinals fans were quick to celebrate. Now, they need to be feeling regret.  

The Arizona Cardinals play the Seattle Seahawks on October 16th and November 6th. They also play Russell Wilson’s Denver Broncos on December 18th. And while the Cardinals still have a date with the Philadelphia Eagles between now and their Week 6 matchup at Lumen Field, they need to respect what Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has done this season.

Likewise, the fan base needs to fear Smith more than Wilson right now. When the Seahawks traded Wilson to Denver in March, a few things happened. The Broncos thought they were getting a franchise quarterback and the Cardinals thought the biggest thorn in their side meant an ultra-weak Seahawks team led by the fringe Geno Smith.

Smith, who through four weeks of the 2022 season has just 40 career touchdown passes, threw 25 of them in 2013 and 2014. He also threw 34 interceptions in those two seasons. Now, Smith looks like the NFL’s finest late-bloomer since Rich Gannon in the early 2000s.

Through his first four games, Smith has a completion percentage of 77.3%, six touchdowns, two interceptions, and 108.0 quarterback rating. In Week 4, he posted a 132.6 rating, one of the best stat lines of his career.

Arizona Cardinals fan base has to regret celebrating Wilson trade

To put it bluntly, Wilson has been a disappointment through his first five games with the Denver Broncos. Not only did he lose to Smith’s Seahawks in Week 1, he also completed 21 of 39 passes and threw two picks in last night’s 12-9 loss against the Indianapolis Colts.

It marked a low point for Wilson, who despite posting a solid outing last week against the Las Vegas Raiders, saw his Broncos give their AFC West rival its first win of the season. Of course, the Cardinals nearly achieved that feat, only to steal the game from Vegas in one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history.

While it’s true Wilson can rebound this season and Geno Smith can reclaim the bust label, the Broncos quarterback hasn’t exactly been encouraging. Through five games, he has posted quarterback ratings of 66.5 (Week 2), 75.8 (Week 3), and 54.9 (Week 5).

It has been a trying season for Wilson, and the Cardinals will need to find a way to stop or at least contain a man who is on the way to resurrecting a once-forgotten career.

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)