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Russell Wilson may be included in the NFL free agent class of 2024.
Wilson anticipates being released by the Denver Broncos in March, according to a Wednesday report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Wilson has known for about two months that the team would let him go at the end of this season.
Russell 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.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 28, 2023
Shortly after the Broncos benched Wilson in favour of backup Jarrett Stidham, Russini's report was released. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the 7-8 Broncos—who have lost three of their past four games—have just an 8% chance of qualifying for the postseason, according to NFL.com.
Wilson, 35, has a $39 million contract for the upcoming season, and if he is still with the team on March 17, 2024, he will also be entitled to $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025. If Wilson failed his spring physical, the Broncos would owe him the injury guarantees since injured players cannot be dismissed.
According to Russini, Wilson received a call from Broncos personnel in late October, warning him that if he didn't postpone the injury guarantee trigger date, he would be benched and inactive for the remainder of the season. Russini claims that the contract remained unchanged despite the involvement of attorneys, including those from the NFLPA.
The Broncos reached out to Wilson's representatives in late October and explained that Wilson would lose the starting job and be made inactive for the rest of the season if he did not defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025, per multiple league sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 28, 2023
On Wednesday, head coach Sean Payton told reporters that the primary motivation for switching quarterbacks was to try to ignite the offence, not Wilson's contract.
"I understand all the speculation and everything that surrounds a move like that, and I can tell you we're desperately trying to win," Payton stated. "Yes, economics and all that are important in today's game, but getting an attacking spark is the primary motivation behind this, and it's a choice I'm making.
Of course, it's challenging, and we all think, 'Man, we didn't do enough.'" However, one of the things we observed when we signed Stidham in the summer was that he's a player I'm excited to see play, not just on tape from preseason games but also from regular-season games. We wouldn't be taking that action if I didn't think he provided us a chance to prevail."
On Wednesday, Wilson refrained from speaking with the media, although he did share on X that he was "looking forward to what's next."
God’s got me.
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) December 28, 2023
Looking forward to what’s next.
According to Spotrac, Denver would be responsible for an incredible $85 million dead-cap money for 2024 if Wilson were released before March 17. The deal would include $35.4 million in dead money for 2024 and $49.6 million in dead cash for 2025 if they released him with a designation made after June 1. Check for plagiarism.
When the Broncos acquired Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022, they had to pay a hefty price, which included two first-round picks and two second-round selections. Then, before the 2022 season, Denver awarded the Super Bowl-winning quarterback a five-year, $245 million extension.
However, the choice to fully support Wilson has turned out to be a complete failure. In 2022, Wilson suffered the worst season of his career, leading the Broncos to a mere 4-11 record with him starting at center and 5-12 overall.
With Payton taking over as head coach this past summer, there was optimism that Wilson would find his way back to the Pro Bowl. Even though Wilson's stats are up from his terrible 2022 year, Denver's offensive problems still need to be solved. Per ESPN, the Broncos are ranked 16th in scoring, 20th in third down, 22nd in the red zone, 25th in passing, and 31st in goal-to-go scenarios.
