NFL Exec Links Russell Wilson to Hated Broncos Division Rival
Ever the optimist, Russell Wilson has big plans for the 2024 season. The question is whether it'll be with the Denver Broncos or elsewhere.
Most signs point to the Broncos parting ways with the nine-time Pro Bowler. But considering the punitive consequences of releasing Wilson relative to the salary cap, the Broncos also have a lot of incentive to patch things up and forge ahead with him.
Wilson has publicly expressed a desire to remain in Denver to finish what he started, while privately, he's reportedly revealed he expects the Broncos to release him this offseason. The brain trust in Denver is expected to meet soon to begin hashing out the plan moving forward, but while we wait for a Wilson resolution, the NFL rumor mill is working overtime.
Wilson has been linked to multiple teams in the rumor mill since the Broncos' season ended. The latest rumor comes via an anonymous NFL executive who told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that he expects Wilson to land with the Las Vegas Raiders — the Broncos' hated AFC West rival.
"[The Raiders] need a vet, and they are one of Wilson's original teams he wanted to go to," the exec told Fowler, referring to Wilson's wish list in 2021. "He'd stay in the [AFC West], West Coast, and [Wilson's wife] Ciara can do a [Las Vegas] residency [as a live performer]."
The Raiders are expected to be in the quarterback market, but they have a problem of their own to solve first. Namely, Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy G is under contract for 2024, but the Raiders seem to be poised to throw in the towel after signing him to a three-year, $72.5 million contract last year. Vegas could trade Garoppolo, and while there are unfounded rumors that Sean Payton could be interested, there's no solid sourcing to be found there.
In all likelihood, Garoppolo will be released, freeing the Raiders up to negotiate with any free agent and/or team on a possible trade. It's unlikely that Denver will be among the teams Vegas will be in talks with as division foes.
But if Wilson is released, he'll be unrestricted and free to negotiate and sign with any team, just like Jimmy G. The Raiders could be one of them, and as Fowler's source opines, the added draw to Vegas for Wilson is the entertainment possibilities for his superstar wife, Ciara.
It would rankle Broncos Country to see Wilson suddenly in the Silver and Black, but while the Raiders currently own an eight-game winning streak over Denver, there's little reason to believe that destination would lead to a renaissance for the veteran QB. Antonio Pierce went from interim head coach to the Raiders' permanent hire, but that team still has plenty of warts and issues to work out themselves.
Wilson has been linked to the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and now the Raiders since the season ended. It's all speculation for now and moot until and unless the Broncos release him.
Nobody is going to trade for Wilson due to that albatross of a contract that is the reason the Broncos benched him in the first place. Wilson took steps forward in 2023 under Payton, but it's difficult to argue that his performance was commensurate with the $49 million per year he's set to earn on the $245 million extension the Broncos gave him in August of 2022.
The irony of all of this is that Year 1 of Wilson's five-year extension is set to start in 2024. It's possible that he could be jettisoned without having ever played on that new contract, despite, of course, the Broncos paying him $124 million at signing, to say nothing of the $165 million in total guarantees.
A $50M quarterback is expected to be among the NFL's best statistically, and his team is expected to be in the playoffs. When neither has happened for the Broncos, with the exception of Wilson's touchdown total this past season, it becomes clear why the team brass is uncomfortable moving forward with him as the starter.
But the catch 22 of the Wilson situation is how the contract forces the Broncos to pay the QB untold millions of dollars whether he's on the roster or not. There's the rub, as they say.
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