When the Broncos traded for Russell Wilson during the 2022 NFL offseason, the hope was that the veteran quarterback would help to fix Denver’s woes at the position.
Instead, Wilson has struggled immensely while leading the Broncos to a 3-8 record and last place in the AFC West, and the situation around him seems to be rapidly deteriorating.
Wilson has been the subject of drama within the team. Various NFL insiders have reported that he is losing the Broncos’ locker room, and that appeared to be on display when defensive tackle Mike Purcell yelled at Wilson on the sidelines during Denver’s 23-10 loss to the Panthers in Week 12.
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Coach Nathaniel Hackett has indicated that there is no truth to the rumors that Wilson is losing the locker room. So too did Mike Klis of 9News.
However, Klis’ report about Wilson drew a lot of attention. Why? Because it indicated that half of the Broncos showed up to his birthday bash on Tuesday night.
There’s been some gossip about Russell Wilson’s standing in locker room. Here’s some context. Per source Wilson’s wife Ciara thru him a birthday party last night and “it looked like about half the team was there.” On player’s day off. Why do people have to be so hurtful? #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) November 30, 2022
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Naturally, the tweet immediately caught fire. Many Twitter users weighed in on whether that was an appropriate amount of Broncos to have at Wilson’s 34th birthday bash or whether the estimated attendance showed something of a rift in Denver’s locker room.
Meanwhile, others pointed out that Wilson’s story was similar to another that has become a part of NFL lore in recent years. That’s the one about Bo Callahan’s birthday party.
Who is Bo Callahan?
Callahan is a fictional character from the 2014 movie “Draft Day,” starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner.
Played by Josh Pence, Callahan is the star quarterback at Wisconsin and the projected No. 1 pick in the draft during which the movie is set. However, Costner’s character, Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr., doesn’t want to select Callahan with the team’s newly acquired top selection.
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Why? Because none of his Badgers teammates went to his birthday party.
He’s really morphing into Bo Callahan https://t.co/SYGyrXyrtn pic.twitter.com/GuasftVKpf
— Trey007 (@Tresse007) November 30, 2022
Weaver views that as a red flag and eventually selects Ohio State linebacker Vontae Mack — played by the late, great Chadwick Boseman — No. 1 overall. It is revealed that Mack was always Weaver’s desired pick before he traded up to the top overall selection in the hours before the draft; he never wanted Callahan.
The whole story is supposed to be an uplifting one about sticking to your gut, but it certainly falls given that the players in question aren’t real.
Even still, Callahan has become something of a Draft Twitter icon over the years. He and his birthday party attendance have been referenced often when reports leak about strange prospect quirks that bother NFL teams in the pre-draft process.
As such, it’s only natural that Callahan’s name surfaced during Wilson’s trial by Twitter regarding his birthday party attendance.
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NFL Twitter compares Russell Wilson to Bo Callahan
NFL fans had a field day with the report about Wilson’s birthday party, and broke out the Callahan comparisons almost immediately. However, the jokes went beyond those about birthday party attendance.
Astute Twitter users noted that like Callahan, Wilson was a Wisconsin quarterback. Both were drafted by the Seahawks as well, as Seattle ended up taking Callahan with the sixth pick in the Draft Day movie.
While some fans and media analysts were amazed by the parallels, others tried to come to Wilson’s defense, saying that getting half the team to his party wasn’t too bad. Below are some of the best and most notable reactions involving Wilson and Callahan.
Broncos Country has reached defcon…Bo Callahan?
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) November 30, 2022
The Broncos really paid 245 million dollars for Bo Callahan https://t.co/qr9WvgW2Ni
— Leslie Micek (@lesmicek) November 30, 2022
None of Bo Callahan’s teammates went to his birthday party. https://t.co/n6MSbyaZkW
— Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) November 30, 2022
I mean, half aint bad. It is more than showed up to Bo Callahan’s birthday party. https://t.co/vnMFuPYEq9
— Nick Herrera (@Nick_Herrera34) November 30, 2022
Bo Callahan shaking in his shoes rn https://t.co/LJd3i1807n
— Aidan Joly (@ByAidanJoly) November 30, 2022
Yea but nobody on Bo Callahan’s team attended his party where’s the reporting on that? https://t.co/50P08uHvej
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) November 30, 2022
Bo Callahan was also a Wisconsin quarterback who didn’t have teammates show up to his birthday party. https://t.co/ailMKcdjkk
— Sean Moomey (@SeanMoomey_7) November 30, 2022
That’s more people than the Bo Callahan birthday party. #DraftDayMovie https://t.co/qwZoScS4A1
— James Stewart (@IAmJamesStewart) November 30, 2022
Bo Callahan? It that you? https://t.co/C6UGnLfFEW
— Marcel Robinson (@MarcelASJax) November 30, 2022
So Russell Wilson in Denver is basically Bo Callahan? https://t.co/BHgserEaZz
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) November 30, 2022
Wilson was at least able to get some of his teammates to attend his gathering, unlike Callahan. So, he does have an advantage over one of the most maligned (albeit fictional) NFL Draft prospects ever.
Still, it’s telling that NFL fans and media analysts alike are willing to pile onto the quarterback about his birthday party attendance. Clearly, they are losing faith in him as the Broncos continue to struggle immensely thanks, in part, to his play and his leadership.
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