Greg Penner: Winning will drive Russell Wilson contract decision

The Denver Broncos have a massive decision at quarterback this offseason; will they bring back highly-paid veteran Russell Wilson or eat his contract before the extension even kicks in? And the best news for Broncos fans is that the only factor in this move is winning.

Seemingly the decision on Wilson was already made when he was benched by Sean Payton for what the coach claims are football reasons. However, it seems as though an ask to adjust contract language, which turned into a feud, was the real reason for Wilson’s benching.

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 but now the Broncos will get their choice on it since he’s healthy. 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 their 16-game winning streak against Denver. Wilson and all the other sides have confirmed parts of this story.

Now Wilson, 35, is likely to be let go before his mega contract extension even kicks in, leaving the Broncos with over $80 million in dead money on their salary cap either for next season or split over the next two. And obviously, there’s $165 million in guarantees to Wilson that Broncos ownership would have to pony-up to a guy they don’t plan to play any more snaps.

“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 on Tuesday. “That decision will be driven by what’s in the best interest of this football team winning games.”

That’s good news for Broncos fans, no matter if you want Wilson back or for him to walk. Penner is the richest owners in the NFL, here’s a spot where he can flex his brass and it pays off for Broncos fans. Their cash on hand will allow them to eat a giant amount of money.

Denver already is in a precarious salary cap spot and are 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 his replacement 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.

Over the past two seasons, the Broncos went 11-19 when Wilson started for them. He threw for 42 touchdowns and had 19 picks, getting better at almost everything in his second season. In 2023, he averaged per game 19.8-for-29.8 passing with 204.7 yards, 1.7 touchdowns to 0.5 picks, three sacks for 17.2 yards while getting 22.7 yards on 5.3 carries a game. Wilson came to Denver to be an MVP and is likely going to walk away with a shattered reputation.

Knowing what we do now, if Wilson has already been benched for Jarrett Stidham for football reasons and the move regarding Wilson’s future will also be based on performance alone—hasn’t the choice already been made?