Report: Broncos plan to cut Russell Wilson, QB has known for months

The Denver Broncos telegraphed their coming quarterback search by benching Russell Wilson on Wednesday and more or less moving on from the star gunslinger.

The move from Sean Payton comes because the way Wilson’s five-year $250 million extension is constructed, it behooves the Broncos to not play their underperforming quarterback in the season’s dying days. Despite still having a small hope of making the postseason, an injury to Wilson would lock in his contract for the future thanks to a condition in his yet-to-kick-in mega deal. The provision would guarantee Wilson’s contract for 2024 if he finished 2023 injured. By not playing Wilson, it guarantees his health and the organization’s flexibility to move on from the quarterback, which according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini will happen.

“Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Broncos, in March,” Russini reported from her league sources. “For almost two months, the quarterback has been starting knowing the organization was most likely going to move on from him.”

Wilson’s injury guarantee for the 2025 season is worth $37 million and it will become guaranteed in March. Wilson was threatened to be benched if he did not agree to amend this stipulation. Apparently, this 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, 35, has seemingly confirmed these reports by liking tweets on Wednesday that shared those details.

Wilson has every right to keep his contract as favorable to him as what he signed. And the Broncos have the right to try and do what may benefit them best in the future. That path will now go on without Wilson, something the quarterback has known as the most likely scenario for some time. While reports seem to share a shocked Wilson, this was a scenario laid out by Denver Sports’ Broncos Insiders months ago. Given a second straight year of below-average results on the giant deal, Denver tied its hands by signing the deal before playing Wilson then when the games started the Broncos hands were well—tied.

And those hands will be tied going forward; the Broncos will face a massive $85 million dead money figure if they cut him in March as is reported by ESPN. But the Broncos can designate Wilson as a post-June 1 cut and spread the hit out over two years, leaving them with salary-cap dead-money figures of $35.4 million in 2024 and $49.6 million in 2025. If the Broncos have Wilson on the roster for the fifth day of the next league year — March 17 — another $37 million will add to the Broncos’ commitment to Wilson. That represents the figure of his 2025 base salary. As a result, if the Broncos waited until the 2025 offseason to cut Wilson, their total dead-money hit over two years would be $86 million — even higher than the dead-money charge if they release him in March.

Denver will get off Wilson’s contract this offseason, and they’ve operated in a way to do that this year by nearly any means necessary—something that must not have felt so great for Russ.