NEWSLETTER
The Denver Broncos announced this morning that they were benching veteran quarterback Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham. Now, a report by NFL insider Dianna Russini indicates that the move away from Wilson is a big-picture decision by Sean Payton and the Broncos that has been on the table for some time.
According to Russini, “Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Denver Broncos in March, per league sources. For almost two months, the quarterback has been starting knowing the organization was most likely going to move on him from after this season.”
Russini explained that the Broncos reached out to Wilson’s representatives in October and advised them that he would be benched and made inactive if he did not defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025.
Wilson did not do that and has been playing for the last two months, knowing that at some point, Denver would pull the plug on his time as the Broncos starting quarterback.
Wilson has $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025 that will become guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March. According to Russini, “Lawyers, including some with the NFLPA, were involved, and no changes were made to the contract.”
If this report is accurate — and it sounds like Russini is getting her information straight from Wilson’s camp — then Wilson’s time in Denver will end this spring, and he will join the quarterback carousel.
The veteran quarterback bounced back this season with 3,000-plus passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns and a 98.0 passer rating after a disastrous first season in Denver. Still, Wilson is a shell of his former self under center, and his contract is something that Denver wants nothing to do with.
According to OTC, Denver will be saddled with an $85 million dead cap hit in 2024 with $49.6 million in cap savings. His dead cap number shrinks to $49.6 million in 2025, $31.2 million in 2026, $12.8 million in 2027, and $4.4 million in 2028.
Couple the massive dead cap hit that his release this spring will carry with the assets that they gave up to Seattle in March 2022, and we have one of the worst trades in NFL history coming to an end. The question now becomes: who will be interested in the 35-year-old signal caller this spring? At the right price, Wilson could serve as a bridge quarterback for a team that misses out on the top quarterback prospects in April.
Luis wrote earlier that Wilson’s benching signaled that the Broncos would be a team in the quarterback market this offseason, making the Bears projected No. 1 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft even more valuable. Looking at the draft order this evening, the Commanders, Patriots, and Giants (who pick third through fifth right now) could be in the mix for a quarterback.
But teams outside the top five will also be in the hunt for one of the top prospects, increasing the likelihood that the Bears or Cardinals could land a massive haul for the top pick from a team like Denver, Atlanta, or Las Vegas.
“If Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles is following today’s news cycle closely, I imagine he is rubbing his hands in anticipation of the offseason ahead after seeing what has transpired.” Luis wrote earlier today. “The Broncos were joined by the Washington Commanders in benching their Week 1 starters today. Meanwhile, the Giants have also opted to go the backup route. Tyrod Taylor is in as Tommy DeVito hits the bench in Week 17. The Falcons, Patriots, Raiders, and Titans have all had in-season quarterback changes this year. All of this hints strongly at the possibility of a major quarterback sweepstakes on the horizon.
“Again, I imagine the Bears GM seeing this and dreaming of what he can do as he realizes he is about to enter a QB-starved market with two top-10 picks and an incumbent quarterback he can keep (and further his development) or trade (to one of the QB-needy teams that will be clawing for help this offseason). The Bears could control the NFL transaction period for a second consecutive offseason. And even though I’d prefer it if the football season were more entertaining and productive than the offseason, I’ll admit that riding these waves is kind of fun.”
