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34-year-old Russell Wilson might be on the chopping block, at least according to ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano.
Wilson, who has gone 5-16 as the Denver Broncos starter since signing a five-year, $245 million contract extension, is eating up a lot of salary cap money that could be used to help the team rebuild.
And rebuilding is something the Broncos have definitely struggled to do with their last winning record coming way back in 2016.
“I think the Broncos have to bite the bullet and cut him before the 2025 guarantees kick in next March,” Graziano said.
“Designate him a post-June 1 cut, take the $35.4 million dead money hit in 2024, another $49 million or so in 2025 and draft a QB to rebuild around.
“This is a bigger project than I think coach Sean Payton expected, and a reset is probably the best way to go. If you’re going to have a quarterback on a rookie deal for the next couple of seasons, you can afford to absorb those dead money hits.”
Sean Payton has certainly had issues with Russell Wilson this season. Payton has been seen yelling at him on the sidelines during games and dropping some not-so-subtle shade on the nine-time Pro Bowler in post-game comments.
For what it’s worth, Sean Payton appeared to still have Wilson’s back following Denver’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs – a game in which Russell passed for just 95 yards and threw two interceptions.
Sean Payton was confident Russell Wilson will bounce back after the game against the Chiefs: “We’ll get him back”
“It starts with me”
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) October 18, 2023
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, however, agrees with Graziano’s assessment of the quarterback situation in Denver.
“Plus, that 2025 salary is guaranteed for injury, which deepens the intrigue if the Broncos continue to slide this season,” he told Graziano.
“Would Payton pull him for Jarrett Stidham? The Denver coach seemed smitten when discussing Stidham’s ceiling at the NFL owners meetings in March. That would be a drastic move, but one that could make sense on a financial level if the losses pile up into mid-to-late November.”
Considering Stidham is signed to the Broncos on a two-year deal worth just $10 million and the Broncos would have to pay Wilson $39, $37, $40, $45, and $50 million to play out his full contract (they can also opt out after the 2025 season), it might be worth making that change. After all, at 1-5 so far in 2023, it can’t make things much worse.