Jason Whitlock says he sympathizes with 'odd person' Russell Wilson because he's not the 'stereotypical' black quarterback... after Super Bowl winner was released by the Broncos after nightmare two years in Denver

Jason Whitlock has called Russell Wilson an 'odd person' and says he sympathizes with him because he's not the 'stereotypical' black quarterback after being released by the Denver Broncos.

It was announced on Monday that Sean Payton and the Broncos will move on from Wilson after his disastrous two years in Colorado.

Wilson won just 11 of his 30 starts and witnessed both the coaching and quarterback carousels continue to churn in Denver, which still hasn't been to the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016.

Reports emerged on Wednesday that the Broncos will allow Wilson to immediately begin talks with other franchises as he now seeks a third team in four seasons.

Whitlock, the conservative pundit and podcaster, has claimed Wilson struggled to get his teammates on board with him because he's not a 'stereotypical' black quarterback.

Jason Whitlock sympathizes with Russell Wilson because he's not the 'stereotypical' black QB

Whitlock called Wilson an 'odd person' and said he couldn't gain the respect of teammates

Whitlock said: 'I'm not sure, and this is heavy, heavy speculation. Russell Wilson is an odd person.

'He's got a unique background where he looks mixed race but he's not mixed race and then, you know, because of the era we live in and the way social media is and just the way the world is, when he came out of college and he's married to the young white girl that threw a lot of pressure on him because people were making fun of her and making fun of him.'

Whitlock then referenced decade-old rumors that Wilson's first wife, Ashton Meem, had an affair with his former Seattle Seahawks teammate Golden Tate. Tate has denied it ever took place.

Whitlock continued: 'Then there were the rumors about, maybe it was Golden Tate or whatever? Remember that rumor about Golden Tate and Russell Wilson's first wife?

'I felt like the guy has dealt with a lot of unfairness and some unneeded pressures and nitpicking that would cause anybody not really secure in themselves to maybe question themselves.

'If he had been playing an individual sport, like say a Tiger Woods, I think he would have been perfectly fine but a team sport, team environment where gaining the respect and the full support of your teammates is very, very difficult.

Wilson won just 11 of his 30 starts as Denver's playoff drought extended to eight years

'It's like Russell Wilson, in retrospect, he's a better version of Donovan McNabb but Donovan McNabb was another guy who couldn't get his teammates fully on board with him, couldn't get the whole locker room on board with him.

'For black quarterbacks who don't fit the "stereotypical cornrows and tattoo" image that the culture is all in on, I just think they have it rough in the locker room so I have sympathy for Russell Wilson.'

Things have not been great for Wilson ever since he joined Denver in a trade that saw the Broncos send four premium draft picks and three players to Seattle in 2022.

Acquiring Wilson turned out to be the biggest miscalculation in franchise history with the team willing to cut ties with him just 19 months after he signed a five-year, $245m contract extension. 

Wilson endured his worst season under Nathaniel Hackett in 2022 and bounced back under Sean Payton in 2023 only to get benched for Jarrett Stidham for the final two games.

On Monday, the Broncos informed Wilson they'd release him next week when the new league year begins.

Wilson has been allowed to begin negotiations with other teams as he weighs up his next move

'We thank Russell for his contributions and dedications to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career,' the team posted on its social media channels, adding, 'We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.'

The Broncos still owe Wilson his $39m salary for 2024 minus whatever he'd sign for with another team, which would likely be the veteran's minimum salary of $1.21m.

The Broncos also will take a record $89m hit in dead cap charges over the next two seasons, which will crimp their roster building as they seek to end an eight-year playoff drought that's featured six head coaches and 13 starting quarterbacks.

Wilson thanked Broncos fans and teammates on social media posts, and issued individual shout-outs to a few of them, including left tackle Garett Bolles and receivers Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Brandon Johnson and Tim Patrick.

'Court, I'll never forget your one-handed catch in LA and your toe-tap in Buffalo. Bolles, you always wrapping your arm around me win or lose. Brandon Johnson, your relentless work ethic. Jeu, you snagging and high-pointing that ball in KC!' Wilson wrote on X.