Russell Wilson’s unscrupulous departure takes on many names… awful is the least vulgar of them.
DENVER, CO– The Denver Broncos are stuck in one of the darkest times in their franchise’s history. Russell Wilson was supposed to change that. Instead, they got two head coaches in two years, a former Super Bowl quarterback that struggled, and with a bleak outlook for the future. In all accounts of the term, this was the Denver Broncos’ worst case scenario.
Wilson, 35, is set to be released this week after the Broncos announced they would not retain the Super Bowl-winning quarterback for another year. Denver hoped that Wilson could be the second coming of Peyton Manning when he signed on with the Broncos from Indianapolis in 2012– who then went on to make two Super Bowls and win one. Except, Wilson and the Broncos have failed to do much of anything with the player capital they’ve had. The Broncos are still in one of the biggest playoff droughts in team history and have the second longest current playoff drought in the NFL, last making the postseason in 2015, Manning’s last year.
“On behalf of the Broncos, we thank Russell for his contributions and dedication to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career,” general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton said in a joint statement.
“As we move forward, we are focused on building the strongest team possible for the 2024 season and beyond. We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.”
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While it appears to be a genuine sentiment, it omits a large part of what truly went wrong. Not much tends to express how much trouble the Broncos truly are in– having given up five draft picks including two first rounders for Wilson from the Seahawks. Pair that with the fact that the Broncos will be around $34 million over the cap according to The Denver Post, the outlook seems grim at best. Cutting Wilson now means that the Broncos will take a $85 million overall hit, which in turn will siphon money from the organization’s future plans going forward.
The Denver Broncos’ $85 million cap hit will be the highest in NFL history ever attributed to a single team– personifying how ugly the situation truly is. Wilson posted a career low in passer rating and was benched for the final two games of the season in 2023, a move which could be speculated that was to protect Wilson from injury to prevent any more money being paid via an injury clause.
The next steps for Russell Wilson and the Broncos are unclear, while Denver tries to clean up their mess– Wilson’s stock just skyrocketed because he can play for the veteran minimum. The Broncos will be stuck paying Wilson’s salary while he’s not on the team. However, questions about his attitude within the locker room and his presence on a team cast a dark shadow on his future endeavors.
“Russ is easy to sign cuz he’s at the minimum,” one agent texted via Yahoo Sports. “Russ is hard to sign cuz he’s Russ.”
At the end of the day, no matter how you spin it– this type of ending was on no one’s mind just two years ago when the Broncos traded for Wilson then extended him. The Broncos have been in an eternal Super Bowl hangover. How they get out of it is yet to be seen.
Russell Wilson will now begin his search for a new team and the Broncos hold the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft which might be used on a top quarterback.
