Adam Schefter discusses Russell Wilson’s new contract on 104.3 The Fan
Sep 1, 2022, 9:45 AM
The Denver Broncos struck a huge contract extension with Russell Wilson on Thursday morning.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news of the five-year, $245 million extension for Wilson that ties him to the Broncos for the next seven seasons with his current deal. The new contract is worth $165 million guaranteed, with Wilson set to make $296 million overall with Denver if everything goes well.
Schefter joined “Schlereth and Evans” on 104.3 The Fan to discuss how the two sides ultimately agreed on this historic contract, just 11 days before Week 1 and Wilson’s debut in orange and blue.
“Really, from the day Denver traded for Russell Wilson, it knew that it was going to have to give him a contract extension at some point in time. It was something that he desired. Who wouldn’t want a new deal? You’re talking about a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback,” Schefter said.
The Broncos were purchased by Robson Walton and a new ownership group earlier this summer. That certainly affected the timing of this deal, according to Schefter.
“They wanted to get something done, he wanted to get something done. You had a new ownership group coming in which I think slowed down the process. I think the (Walton-Penner) group wanted to come in, survey everything, see what it was like and I think once that happened this was the first deal that they did. I always felt like this deal would get done before the start of the season,” Schefter said.
With Deshaun Watson getting a ridiculous $230 million guaranteed from the Cleveland Browns, and Kyler Murray nearly cracking $200 million guaranteed with the Arizona Cardinals, some thought Wilson could “reset” the QB market in the NFL. Schefter said that wasn’t going to be the case — and this is a really good deal for both sides.
“When you say ‘why doesn’t Russell Wilson want to reset the market?’ I guess my argument to that would be if somebody’s offering you $165 million guaranteed when you have two years left on your (current) contract, at an average of $49 million a year, I think you’re probably pretty good riding with that,” Schefter said.
Schefter went on to add the Broncos wanted to get the deal done now for “stability,” and also before Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow received new deals. He wisely pointed out the QB market is never going to go down, but is always on the rise.
It’s a great day for Broncos Country all around. Wilson is here to stay for a long, long time.
You can listen to Schefter’s full interview here.
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