Broncos Send Russell Wilson a Message After the QB's Release
On Monday, reports claimed that the Denver Broncos had informed quarterback Russell Wilson that he would be released next week. Wilson seemed to confirm the reports by offering up a farewell to Broncos Country on social media.
It didn't take long for the Broncos to issue an official announcement. The statement was issued jointly by GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton.
"We spoke with Russell Wilson today to inform him of his release after the start of the league 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.
"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."
It's the end of an error era. Wilson departs the Mile High City with an 11-19 record as a starter. In two years as a Bronco, he passed for 6,594 yards and 42 touchdowns, with 19 interceptions.
Wilson completed 63.5 percent of his passes over that span and earned a cumulative QB rating of 91.2. Although that rating is his average over two years, as a stand-alone metric, it would represent his worst stretch of play as a pro.
The only thing for Broncos fans to celebrate during the Wilson era was the team finally snapping its 16-game losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs, which dated all the way back to 2015. If that was the limit of Denver's return on the Wilson trade, considering how much was relinquished to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange — on top of the five-year, $245 million extension he was given — it can only be viewed as a colossal failure.
Wilson now enters free agency at 35 years old. He'll turn 36 in November. The past two years suggest that Father Time has taken its toll on the veteran quarterback, and it's fair to expect Wilson to regress further.
Quarterback-needy teams will kick Wilson's tires, but his days of commanding top-of-the-market dollars are over. If he lands in the right place, perhaps he has enough gas left in the tank to hang another couple of years. Probably not.
That's no longer the Broncos' concern. In fact, the only concern the Broncos have about Wilson's future is the size of the deal he signs in free agency, as it will offset the salary the team is obligated to pay him. Knowing he's already clocking top dollar, it wouldn't be surprising to see Wilson sign a very team-friendly deal with a team that's in position to compete right away, leaving the Broncos still on the hook for the lion's share of the money he's owed.
$85 million in dead-money charges on the salary cap.
That's what the Broncos will absorb in the first year without Wilson, smashing the previous NFL record by more than 2x. That is, assuming he's designated as a pre-June 1 cut.
In 2025, the Broncos will eat $49.6M in dead money and $31.2M in 2026. That means that when it comes to "building the strongest possible team to compete in 2024 and beyond," the Broncos have little choice but to draft a quarterback, giving the team a five-year window to compete with a cost-controlled signal-caller.
Holding the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL draft, the Broncos are within striking distance of one of the top-four quarterbacks in the class. And if the rumors are true about Oregon's Bo Nix, Sean Payton will almost certainly get his guy without having to trade up.
On the surface, Nix would be a good fit for Payton, but taking him at No. 12 might be a reach. To land one of the four bonafide first-rounders — USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy — there's a good chance the Broncos will have to find a trading partner to move up into the top-8 picks.
The new league year opens on March 13 and thus begins the free agency whirlwind. The Broncos are still $20M over the cap limit, so while fans shouldn't expect to see Paton and Payton throwing money around to sign free agents, it would be wise to bear down for a few painful roster moves.
The Broncos don't have much time left to become salary-cap-compliant with the NFL.
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