Mike McGlinchey Says He 'Couldn't Stand' Russell Wilson Before Joining Broncos

After playing in the same division against Russell Wilson for the first four years of his career, Mike McGlinchey is changing his tune on the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback now that they are teammates with the Denver Broncos.

Speaking to reporters following Thursday's OTA practice, McGlinchey admitted he "really couldn't stand" Wilson because of how much success he previously had against the San Francisco 49ers.

McGlinchey explained that he's already grown quite fond of Wilson in their short time together with the Broncos:

"To be in the locker room with him and to be able to be in the huddle with him now has been awesome. Russ, first and foremost, he's a workhorse. There's nobody in the building that works harder than him. He's addicted to this game and is addicted to trying to be great. That rubs off on a lot of people. And there's a reason that he's had the success in this league that he's had. I'm excited for what we can all do together, because I think with Coach [Payton], with Russ, with the talent we have on this team, I think we have a really good shot to help Russ get to even higher heights than he's been."

McGlinchey got thrown into the 49ers' rivalry with Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks when he was selected with the ninth overall pick by San Francisco in the 2018 NFL draft.

Wilson has frequently tormented the 49ers over the course of his career, long before McGlinchey was in the NFL. The 34-year-old quarterback has an 18-4 record against San Francisco, including the 2013 NFC Championship Game.

The Arizona Cardinals are the only other team Wilson has at least 10 career wins against (11). He's thrown for 4,353 yards and 36 touchdowns in 21 regular-season matchups with the Niners.

McGlinchey's tenure with the 49ers saw them go 2-5 in seven head-to-head games against Wilson and the Seahawks. Their biggest win in the rivalry was in Week 17 of the 2019 season when San Francisco held on for a 26-23 victory to clinch the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Even as the 49ers put together an excellent 2022 season with a 13-4 record, Wilson still found a way to get the better of them. He engineered a fourth-quarter comeback in the Broncos' 11-10 victory over San Francisco in Week 3.

After finishing out his rookie contract with the 49ers last season, McGlinchey joined Wilson in Denver when he signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal in free agency.

The 28-year-old will play a pivotal role in the offense as the starting right tackle in charge of protecting Wilson.