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The period of Russell Wilson playing for Denver has come to an end abruptly, lasting only two seasons.
On Monday, the Broncos officially notified the experienced quarterback that they plan to terminate his contract after the new league year begins on March 13.
General manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton expressed their gratitude and appreciation for Russell’s efforts and commitment to the team and community on behalf of the Broncos, extending their well wishes for his future endeavors as he moves forward in his career.
Our primary objective going forward is to diligently work towards assembling a highly capable team for the upcoming 2024 season and also for the years beyond that. We are enthusiastic about enhancing our team during the upcoming offseason and are looking forward to the opportunities to enhance our roster through both the draft and free agency, providing us with the adaptability to make significant improvements.
The news was initially reported by Ian Rapoport, who serves as an insider for the NFL Network.
In a comprehensive statement, Wilson expressed his gratitude towards the city of Denver and also mentioned his anticipation for future endeavors. It is worth mentioning that the quarterback conspicuously omitted any reference to either the Broncos’ General Manager or head coach.
In his written piece, Wilson expressed the sentiment that although difficult circumstances may not persist indefinitely, individuals with resilience and strength of character are able to endure and persevere.
Due to separating from the expensive quarterback, Denver will incur a financial loss of $39 million. However, this decision will prevent a $37 million guaranteed payment from being activated for the 2025 season, which would have occurred this month. Despite that, the Broncos will incur a total of $85 million in dead salary cap over the next two years due to their decision to release Wilson, marking it as the most significant dead cap hit ever recorded in NFL history.
Wilson seemed to be aware of his impending departure despite his recent denials; in a public statement on the I Am Athlete podcast just last week, he openly expressed his wish that his professional journey would lead him to Denver.
With only fourteen days remaining in the 2023 season, the Broncos still had a chance to make it to the playoffs, but despite this, Wilson was replaced by Jarrett Stidham and benched. The justification provided at that moment was clearly motivated by financial considerations. By choosing not to play Wilson when there was little at stake, Denver protected the quarterback from a potential serious injury and also allowed the team the opportunity to save money by moving on from Wilson without having to fulfill the large 2025 financial commitment.
Just last week, Payton had not made any public statements indicating his commitment to finding a new quarterback instead of Wilson. At long last, the strategic initiative that involved removing Wilson from Denver’s prospects and ending the doomed partnership within the franchise was successfully realized on Monday.
Wilson made his way to Denver through a significant trade that took place in the offseason of 2022, coming all the way from Seattle. The Broncos made a substantial trade with the Seahawks by offering five draft picks, which notably included two first-round selections, and also included three players. This was done in exchange for the services of the reigning Super Bowl champion. Following the trade, the Broncos proceeded to sign the player to a significant five-year contract worth $242.6 million. This move not only established him as a centerpiece and leader of the team but also solidified him as the key figure of the franchise, as they look towards the future under the leadership of General Manager Paton and newly appointed head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
The outcome turned out to be extremely catastrophic, causing a lot of chaos and negative consequences. Under Hackett’s coaching, Wilson experienced his least successful performance in a professional setting, leading to the coach’s dismissal following a disappointing 4-11 start to his initial season in Denver. After the seasoned Payton was recruited to stabilize the situation, Wilson showed a slight improvement, though not significant enough, which resulted in him being replaced and his departure becoming inevitable.
In total, Wilson served as the quarterback in 30 games for the Broncos, during which the team achieved an 11-19 record. During his tenure, he completed 63.3% of his passes, gaining 6,594 yards, and made 42 touchdown passes along with 19 interceptions. Since 2022, the offensive performance of Denver, led by Wilson at quarterback, has been lackluster, ranking the team 26th in the league in scoring with only 18.9 points per game and 27th in total yards gained with an average of 311.7 yards per game.
Due to Wilson’s upcoming departure, the Broncos are currently planning to proceed with Stidham and Ben DiNucci, who collectively have only five career starts as quarterbacks. Furthermore, Denver is in possession of the 12th overall selection in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, giving them the opportunity to potentially select a highly-regarded quarterback prospect.
At 35 years old, Wilson is embarking on his 13th season as a player in the National Football League. Even though he faced difficulties in Denver, the player who has been selected to the Pro Bowl nine times continues to hold the distinction of having the second-highest passer rating in the era of the Super Bowl, which is 100.0, and he stands as the sole individual in the history of the NFL to have accumulated at least 40,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards.
Wilson’s most recent remarks suggest that he believes there are still more contributions he can make in his professional career. He simply will not engage in that activity while residing in Denver.
