Report: Russell Wilson midseason benching would violate CBA, according to NFLPA letter

Russell Wilson perceived the Broncos’ notion of having him hit the bench if he didn’t accept a restructure to delay the injury guarantee on the contract as a threat. And according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, the NFLPA did not think kindly of the Broncos proposal.

Maske obtained a letter from the NFLPA to the Broncos, which included the following language:

“It has come to our attention that the Denver Broncos recently informed Mr. Wilson and his Certified Contract Advisor that if Mr. Wilson would not renegotiate his Player Contract to relinquish certain salary guarantees, the Broncos would remove him from the starting lineup. If the Broncos follow-through on the Club’s threat, the Club will violate, among other things, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Mr. Wilson’s Player Contract and New York law. And, we are particularly concerned that the Broncos still intend to commit these violations under the guise of ‘coaching decisions.’”

NEW: The NFLPA told the Broncos in Nov. 4 letter their threat to bench Russell Wilson over injury guarantee in contract was illegal and violated the CBA, creating the possibility for litigation and arbitration against the team and NFL. Story upcoming at https://t.co/GXHkX9kbHu. pic.twitter.com/H4GmBLWrP6

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) December 31, 2023

That is strong wording from the NFLPA — particularly the part about how, if the Broncos took Wilson out of the lineup, “the Club will violate … the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Mr. Wilson’s Player Contract and New York law.”

In the end, the Broncos kept Russell Wilson in the lineup until this week, when the club officially benched him.

Russell Wilson confirmed Friday that the Broncos approached him about altering the injury guarantee on his contract. He added that per the discussions, if he didn’t accept the change, “I’d be benched for the rest of the year.” He then noted that the NFLPA got involved with the matter.

Russell Wilson details that the Broncos asked him during the bye week to remove the injury guarantee from his contract, and that if he didn’t, “I’d be benched for the rest of the year.” pic.twitter.com/JTXJOtYQXW

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 29, 2023

“The NFLPA and NFL got involved or whatever, I think, at some point,” Wilson added.

Broncos coach Sean Payton maintained throughout the week that the move was entirely football-related. He added Friday that he didn’t know about the details regarding whether the team threatened to bench Wilson if he did not accept the contract alteration.

“I’m handling the football,” Payton said.

Sean Payton says he’s “not privy to” any of the conversations regarding contract terms, etc. re: Russell Wilson. “I’m handling the football,” he says. pic.twitter.com/dvGpE46aZP

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 29, 2023

Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport floated the notion that Russell Wilson could return, although he called it “unlikely.” On the record, Wilson expressed openness to a potential return.

However, a source cited by Maske poured cold water on that idea.

“I don’t see how that situation gets fixed,” said the source, who Maske described as “a high-ranking official” with an NFL team. “I would think in your planning you would have to say that [Wilson] will be on the market.”