DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 31: Justin Simmons #31 of the Denver Broncos celebrates with teammates after making an interception in the second quarter against the Washington Football Team at Empower Field At Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Denver Broncos release of QB Russell Wilson reportedly imminent, face historic dead-cap hit
The Denver Broncos have shopped quarterback Russell Wilson for weeks in NFL trade rumors. Now, just a few years after sacrificing multiple first-round picks to acquire him, the Broncos are reportedly on the verge of releasing Wilson into NFL free agency.
Denver signaled its plans with Wilson long before the offseason. When the former Super Bowl champion was benched before the end of the regular season and then he revealed the club threatened to bench him earlier if he didn’t delay the vesting of his guaranteed money, it was evident where things were headed.
- Russell Wilson stats 2023:Â 98.0 QB rating, 66.4% completion rate, 26-8 TD-INT, 3,070 passing yards, 6.9 yards per attempt, 7-8 record
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Despite many around the league easily recognizing that head coach Sean Payton wanted to move on from Wilson, a quarterback-coach marriage most believed was destined to fail, Denver still attempted to find a trade partner. However, no club was willing to take on any portion of Wilson’s contract. Thus, the team is poised to be on the hook for the largest dead-cap hit in NFL history.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Sunday that people around the league who were asked at the NFL Combine about Wilson’s future expressed a belief that the Broncos are prepared to release the veteran quarterback as early as this upcoming week.
Denver will release Wilson by March 17, the date before the 2024 league year begins when his $37 million injury guarantee becomes fully guaranteed. However, after not finding anyone willing to make a deal for him even if the Broncos ate a significant portion of his contract, Denver is prepared to cut their Pro Bowl quarterback in the coming days.
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Once Wilson is released, the Broncos will be left with an $85 million dead-cap hit. For context, that would be higher than the two highest combined cap hits (Aaron Rodgers, $40.313 million and Mat Ryan, $40.525 million) in NFL history.
Following Wilson’s official departure from Denver, he is expected to have a fair amount of interest. The 35-year-old still played effectively last season and is still viewed as a starting-caliber quarterback by multiple teams. With Wilson willing to sign a team-friendly deal with his next team, largely because the Broncos are responsible for a majority of his salary, Wilson should have several offers to choose from in NFL free agency.
