As the Denver Broncos season was collapsing, Shannon Sharpe had a scathing review of Russell Wilson and his office privilege at the team's facilities. Now, it appears that Sharpe's assessment of Wilson and his attitude was right on the money.
Upon his trade to the Broncos, Wilson was given his own office, which he didn't have with the Seahawks. It was on the second floor of Denver's facilities – the same floor where the team's coaches and executives worked. While Wilson was the new quarterback in town, some felt it created an off putting dynamic with the Broncos, via Kalyn Kahler, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic.
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“The players were always on the first floor, they never really came up to the second floor,” an anonymous Broncos' coach said. “If you came up to the second floor as a player, you were probably getting released.”
Wilson's office reportedly had an “open-door” policy. Which drew the ire of another Denver coach.
“So, are you a coach or a player?” a separate anonymous coach asked. “Your open door should be you sitting at your locker.”
After the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett, Shannon Sharpe ripped into Wilson. He suggested locking Wilson's office to show that despite being the quarterback, he isn't bigger than the team.
Russell Wilson and the Broncos eventually listened to Sharpe. The QB agreed to remove his office and the support staff he brought with him with two weeks remaining in the season.
The Broncos traded a king's ransom of draft picks to acquire Wilson. His first season was marred with controversy and was an overall failure. But after following Sharpe's instructions, the Broncos are hopeful both Wilson and the team can get back on track this upcoming season.
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