KC Chiefs: Russell Wilson Should Have Been A Chief

By John Viril | Feb 4, 2015

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Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws the ball pressured by New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones (95) in the second quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

As I watched QB Russell Wilson drive the Seahawks within one-yard of victory in Super Bowl 49, I could not help but wonder what the KC Chiefs would be like with that guy at the controls.

It could have happened, you know.

With the Kansas City Chiefs on the clock in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Russell Wilson still waited to get the call from an NFL team.

The Chiefs clearly needed a QB. Matt Cassel had shown himself unsuited for a starting NFL job during his 2011 implosion. And Wilson was a guy that would have been a top-5 pick if he had been 6-2 instead of 5-11. I, for one, screamed Wilson’s name the moment the Chargers picked LSU SS Brandon Taylor with the 9th pick of the third round.

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For one brief moment, I knew it was going to happen.

I had developed a man-crush on Russell Wilson after seeing him on John Gruden’s QB Camp on ESPN. Wilson was smart, articulate, mature, and—most of all—you could tell he loved football. Not just playing. He came across as a football geek who loved the process of puzzling out defenses on film.

This was a guy that adored the craft of football.

I thought, “Who cares if he’s 5’11”. Being short didn’t stop Drew Brees—or even Chiefs legend Len Dawson. Besides, Wilson played behind a line in Wisconsin that averaged 6’7″. It was worth taking a shot that he could overcome his size limitations.

Sure it was a risk. The short quarterback has the added chore of finding a throwing window in the 2 or 3 seconds he has to decide where to go with the football. In the warp-speed NFL, that’s hard.

However, the Kansas City Chiefs had a need, Russell Wilson had the drive, and other teams let him sit on on the draft board in a place where the gamble wouldn’t prove too costly if he failed.

Scott Pioli had an opportunity.

The fact is, I don’t have a clue how Scott Pioli made his (mostly-rotten) decisions while general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs. What I do know is that he failed to address his need at quarterback twice. In 2011, he bypassed Colin Kaepernick late in the first round. In 2012, he passed on Russell Wilson.

I guess he believed in Matt Cassel.

Sigh.

Scott Pioli took offensive-tackle Donald Stephenson instead of Russell Wilson.

Perhaps that should be the epitaph on his Chiefs tombstone.

Yet, the “what if” still won’t go away. So let’s scratch the itch. What would have happened if the guy answering the phone at the Chiefs table in New York decided to defy his deranged boss and put in Wilson’s name instead of Stephenson?

Next: Would Russell Wilson Have Even Played?

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