During the 2023-24 NFL season, the Denver Broncos approached Russell Wilson about reworking his contract to remove the millions guaranteed to him if he suffered a serious injury. As one might expect, the Super Bowl-winning QB didn’t appreciate this threat, and he refused to amend his contract.
This eventually led to the Broncos benching their $242 million QB, and now he’s set to be released. Once he’s on the open market, Wilson is sure to generate plenty of interest. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants are just two teams who have already reached out to Wilson’s camp, and more are expected.
Related: 5 ideal Russell Wilson landing spots after release from Denver Broncos
Russell Wilson’s contract will come back to bite Denver Broncos
Russell Wilson’s free agency is unlike any other QB, all thanks to the contract he signed back in 2022 in Denver. Once he’s officially released, the Broncos will see Wilson’s $39 million cap hit impact their spending budget in 2024.
What’s unique about this is that Wilson will earn $39M next season, no matter what. The only part yet to be determined is how much another team will pay Wilson. However, say Wilson signs a (purely hypothetical) one-year contract for $10 million. Then the Broncos will only have to pay Wilson $29M of the original $39M figure.
Essentially, this means if a team pays Wilson a massive amount, it only helps the Broncos because then they don’t have to pay Wilson the full $39M.
In turn, speculation has pointed to Wilson signing a contract for the veteran minimum amount of $1.21 million. If so, that means the Broncos will be stuck, paying Wilson $37.8 million. In other words, the less money another team pays Wilson, the more it hurts Denver’s salary cap.
So, if the former Broncos QB really wanted to stick it to his old team, he’d sign for the veteran minimum because he’s already guaranteed to make $39M anyway.
And based on ESPN’s report from Jeremy Fowler, this is exactly what Wilson is planning to do this offseason.
“I’m told Wilson is eager to help his new team on the contract front and enters the free agency process looking not only for the chance to win but also a team with an infrastructure for winning and has done it consistently.”
Jeremy Fowler on Russell Wilson’s free agency plans
Eager to help his new team? This sounds like the perfect way to get revenge on the Broncos for making him their franchise quarterback, only to lose interest two years into a five-year commitment. Like the rest of the football world, we’re eager to see how this one plays out.