Russell Wilson faced some harsh criticism from former NFL players this week after the quarterback was benched by the New York Giants, and Robert Griffin III feels some of the negativity has gone too far.
Wilson was benched by the Giants this week in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart. The quarterback switch was discussed during the Amazon “Thursday Night Football” pregame show before the Week 4 game between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez was asked if he believes we have seen the last of Wilson as a starter in the NFL, and he did not hold back with his response.
“Honestly, I hope we have,” Gonzalez said. “And I say that because I just look at him and his career. If ever there was somebody who played himself out of the Hall of Fame, it’s Russell Wilson.”
Richard Sherman, who played with Wilson on the Seattle Seahawks from 2012-2017, agreed with his fellow Amazon analyst. The former All-Pro cornerback said the Seahawks “had a legendary defense” with the Legion of Boom and pointed out that Wilson has not had much success since then.
Griffin took to social media on Thursday night to rip Sherman and Gonzalez in defense of Wilson.
“They doing Russell Wilson so dirty. I never hear former teammates attack Eli Manning and his record or how he performed outside of the 2 Super Runs (sic) they had. They show him the respect he has earned and appreciate him for helping them win at the highest level. That ain’t right,” Griffin wrote on X.
They doing Russell Wilson so dirty.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 26, 2025
I never hear former teammates attack Eli Manning and his record or how he performed outside of the 2 Super Runs they had. They show him the respect he has earned and appreciate him for helping them win at the highest level. That ain’t right.
Manning led the Giants to Super Bowl wins in 2007 and 2011. He then had a losing record in six of his last seven seasons. The point RG3 was making is that most people praise Manning for the Super Bowl wins and ignore the way Manning and the Giants struggled to close out the quarterback’s career.
While Manning may not have faced the same level of scrutiny late in his career that Wilson has faced, there is certainly plenty of debate over whether Eli belongs in the Hall of Fame. We can expect a similar debate when Wilson becomes eligible.
