Surprise alert! Russell Wilson might be leaving the Denver Broncos in March 2024. The news comes after the Broncos benched him for backup Jarrett Stidham to try and shake things up, as explained by coach Sean Payton.
Wilson, who’s 35 years old, is set to get $39 million next season. He apparently knew for almost two months that the Broncos were thinking about letting him go, especially with the team struggling in recent games and having a slim 8% chance of making the playoffs.
The money stuff is a bit tricky. If Wilson stays on the team after March 17, 2024, there’s an extra $37 million in guarantees for 2025. Sources say the team told Wilson in late October about his benching for the rest of the season unless he agreed to push back the guarantee date. Lawyers got involved, but nothing changed in the contract.
Coach Payton says it’s not just about money; they want a spark in the offense. The Broncos traded big to get Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and even gave him a massive $245 million extension for five years before the 2022 season.
But things didn’t go well on the field. In 2022, with Wilson leading, the team only won 4 out of 11 games, ending with an overall 5-12 season. Even though Wilson improved personally from the last season, the Broncos still struggled on offense, ranking low in various stats like 16th in scoring and 25th in passing.
Now, if the Broncos release Wilson before March 17, they’re looking at a whopping $85 million in dead cap money for 2024. If they wait and use a special designation after June 1, it’s still a lot but a bit less, with $35.4 million in 2024 and $49.6 million in 2025.
As the regular NFL season gets closer to the end, everyone’s watching to see what happens next with Russell Wilson and how the Broncos might change things up in the quarterback department during the free agency period. Stay tuned!