Broncos WR Tim Patrick Ready to Raise His Game with Russell Wilson
When Denver Broncos general manager George Paton acquired Russell Wilson last March, he didn’t just land a nine-time Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
Paton, a second-year front office executive, scored an elite leader that is at the forefront of transforming the team’s culture at UCHealth Training Center.
This week in Denver, Wilson and his teammates began voluntary minicamp while Paton and the scouting department finished last-minute touches on their NFL draft preparations.
Broncos Country finally saw Wilson in Orange and Blue threads with his No. 3 jersey working alongside new head coach Nathaniel Hackett and the rest of the new offense.
One of the players who stands to benefit most from the arrival of Wilson is fifth-year wide receiver Tim Patrick.
“It was fun to get back out there, go against the defense,” said Patrick during Wednesday’s media availability. “It was just fun to be out there with Russ, be out there with the offense with our defense out there, talking, hanging. It was a good time.”
Patrick was undrafted out of Utah and cut twice before finding a home in Denver is beloved by Broncos Country. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound playmaker started his career on the practice squad in 2017 and has since become the most reliable receiver on a roster filled to the brim with wideouts.
Last season, the California native played in 16 games and caught 53 receptions for 734 yards and five touchdowns in an anemic Pat Shurmur offense.
Last November, Patrick signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract extension along with fellow receiver Courtland Sutton. Both men, in addition to Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, worked out with Wilson at his private football field estate near San Diego earlier this offseason.
“Russell Wilson has more than just a football field. It’s a lot,” Patrick jokingly replied when asked if he’d ever been to a home with a football field before.
Patrick also explained that the offseason work at Wilson’s estate translated to this week’s voluntary minicamp as the offense understands its high expectations for the upcoming season.
“Nothing surprised me because he laid it all out there when we first met, like what he expects, his expectations and everything,” said Patrick. “It was exactly what he said. Now it’s just my job to get [to] the same level as him.”
Known for his sense of humor and blue-collar work ethic, Patrick was one of only two NFL receivers with 70-plus targets and zero drops in 2021 alongside future Hall-of-Famer Larry Fitzgerald. Patrick has been the model of consistency as a player on the field. Despite the struggles of the in-the-past Vic Fangio regime, including a stable full of fizzled-out quarterbacks, Patrick’s grit never wavered.
The determination and work ethic of Patrick’s upbeat mentality should jive with the electrifying personality of Hackett.
“Energy. I thought he was going to die off after day two, but he keeps it going,” Patrick said when asked about his early impressions of his new head coach. “I can definitely appreciate that. He has the energy every day. I have no reason to not have energy.”
That word ‘energy’ is consistently mentioned ad nauseam at Dove Valley. Gone are the days of dozing off to lackluster football in Denver because Wilson has raised the bar without even playing a down yet, and he’s elevating Patrick and his teammates with him.
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