Broncos cook Russell Wilson, cut QB after he burned Denver

The Russell Wilson era in Colorado is officially coming to an end, as the Denver Broncos are going to cut the quarterback come March 13, the team announced on Monday.

Wilson was brought to Denver to be the answer at quarterback after years of the team searching. The giant trade and massive extension he subsequently was signed to will wind up as two of the worst moves in Broncos history. He’s now out of orange and blue before that extension even kicked in. In the Broncos cutting Russell Wilson, the team will face a ginormous $85 million dead money figure on their salary cap. The team will spread that money out over two years with possible figures of $35.4 million in 2024 and $49.6 million in 2025.

We’ve notified QB Russell Wilson that he will be released after the league year begins March 13.

A statement from GM George Paton and HC Sean Payton: pic.twitter.com/EJO5mNMjew

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) March 4, 2024

Seemingly the decision to move on from Wilson was already made when he was benched by Sean Payton for what the coach claimed were football reasons. But the benching appears to have stemmed from the team wanting to adjust contract language, which turned into a feud.

Wilson had an injury guarantee for the 2025 season worth $37 million as part of his five-year $250 million deal. That guarantee would automatically become guaranteed in March if he had been hurt at season’s end but since he was benched and is healthy, the Broncos had the ability to cut Wilson. The change in his contract was first discussed after Wilson’s most memorable win as a Bronco—a three-touchdown performance to lead the orange and blue past KC, killing the Chiefs 16-game winning streak against Denver.

“The financial part of it is a significant component as you know, in terms of how this works out in the future, but that’s not what will drive the decision,” team owner Greg Penner said at season’s end. “That decision will be driven by what’s in the best interest of this football team winning games.”

Denver was already in a precarious salary cap position and is still down on draft assets thanks to the Wilson trade and then the subsequent trade to bring in Sean Payton to fix him. They can however draft a quarterback to replace Wilson with the No. 12 pick in the coming draft. Or turn the keys over to a free agent, though they won’t have a ton of cap space free to pay them unless the team makes a bunch more moves.

Thank You Broncos Country 🙏🏾 – #3 pic.twitter.com/3IoVheYVyI

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 4, 2024

Why the Broncos cut Russell Wilson

Over the past two seasons, the Broncos went 11-19 when Wilson started for the team. He threw for 42 touchdowns and had 19 picks, getting better at almost everything in his second season with Payton. In 2023, he averaged per game 19.8-for-29.8 passing with 204.7 yards, 1.7 touchdowns to 0.5 picks and three sacks for 17.2 yards while getting 22.7 rushing yards on 5.3 carries a game. Going back in time to year one, Denver had one of their most embarrassing seasons in club history as the team went 5-12 and head coach Nathaniel Hackett got fired late in the season. Simply said, in the two years Wilson was in Denver, he wasn’t the guy he was in Seattle who went to nine Pro Bowls, battled in two Super Bowls and was constantly on Offensive Player of the Year ballots.

Due to the nature of Wilson’s contract, it was actually more affordable for the Broncos to cut Russell Wilson this spring than it would be next spring, meaning the improving play was just not enough to move the needle for Penner and staff.

The Russell Wilson trade

Denver certainly found out in two years that there are limits to Wilson’s game. This is what the finally tally was on the deal construed to acquire Mr. Unlimited.

Broncos get:

• QB Russell Wilson
• 2022 fourth-round pick (DL Eyioma Uwazurike, Iowa State)

Seahawks get:

• QB Drew Lock
• DT Shelby Harris
• TE Noah Fant
• 2022 first-round pick (OT Charles Cross, Mississippi State)
• 2022 second-round pick (OLB Boye Mafe, Minnesota)
• 2022 fifth-round pick (OLB Tyreke Smith, Ohio State)
• 2023 first-round pick (CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois)
• 2023 second-round pick (EDGE Derick Hall, Auburn)

We know what the Broncos got in Wilson, and Eyioma Uwazurike played only eight games for Denver his rookie season before a possible two-year prison sentence for gambling-related charges while at college kept him out of his second season. Those charges were dropped on March 1.

Seattle’s haul has played out much better. Lock has been a backup, only appearing in four games since the trade. Harris had one solid season for the Seahawks while Fant has remained a steady rotational tight end, never quite yet reaching the potential that Denver saw when they selected him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Then there’s the five draft picks Seattle had. Cross has become a strong tackle for the Seahawks, starting all 31 games of his NFL career. Meanwhile, the Mafe pick could’ve been Kenneth Walker III, who Seattle took a pick later. Still, Mafe has 12 sacks in his young career. The last pick from the 2022 haul, Smith, hasn’t done much yet in his career and he’s already on the Cardinals. The 2023 class had Devon Witherspoon, one of the best rookie defenders in the NFL this past season and Hall, who had a decent first season in the league.

What’s next for Russell Wilson?

The quarterback came to Denver to be an MVP and walks away with a shattered reputation seeking employment elsewhere. After the Broncos cut of Russell Wilson becomes official, he’s expected to be perused by  a few teams.

The news may come as a slight surprise to Wilson in a way, who said recently he’d like to remain a Bronco and that he seeks to win two Super Bowls in the next five years and hopes that it’ll be in Denver. Once he’s ready to explore the market, the Pittsburgh Steelers are strong favorites to land Wilson, with the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots also in the running. Whoever does end up with Wilson, will get to sign him for league minimum since Denver will be paying most of his salary.