Denver cuts Russell Wilson, to eat $85mil in dead cap

[alexwilkins]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/396 ... -money-hit

[LacertineForest]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/396 ... -money-hit

Absolutely insane amount of dead money. I wonder if Pittsburgh will sign him now.

[wab]

Good god...I can't believe I was on board with Pace offering the moon for him. I'm also glad that the Seahawks said no when he did.

How does this not cripple the Broncos for the next two years?

[Grizzled]

Wab, I thought the Bears should make an offer but not what Pace offered, good thing Carroll turned it down.

Please start a 'don't sign him thread'.

[Ditka’s dictaphone]

Good god...I can't believe I was on board with Pace offering the moon for him. I'm also glad that the Seahawks said no when he did.

How does this not cripple the Broncos for the next two years?

Agreed, thank you Seattle

Where now for Wilson?
Do Denver want Fields?
Will they offer the moon for #1 pick?

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Where now for Wilson?
Do Denver want Fields?
Will they offer the moon for #1 pick?

Can they afford to offer the moon for the #1 pick given how much they've given up in recent years for Wilson and then Payton, not to mention that almighty $85m in dead cap over the next two seasons?

Frankly I'm amazed George Paton still has a job. If I was the Broncos' owner I certainly wouldn't trust him with any more trade deals.

They surely have to get a QB though. Can they really go into the season with Stidham and DiNucci who have 5 starts between them? Maybe if they plan to completely tank for a year but they have still have some talent on their roster. I mean they clearly thought they were just a QB away from being contenders when they traded for Wilson.

[Rusty Trombagent]

Man, I hope they really like Nix or Penix

[dplank]

Good god...I can't believe I was on board with Pace offering the moon for him. I'm also glad that the Seahawks said no when he did.

How does this not cripple the Broncos for the next two years?

Same here, I wanted Russ in Chicago. Oops.

[spudbear]

Good god...I can't believe I was on board with Pace offering the moon for him. I'm also glad that the Seahawks said no when he did.

How does this not cripple the Broncos for the next two years?

That was my first thought, we're lucky the Bears are not in cap-hell with what Pace could have done. Poles still had to clean house and rebuild though.
Denver will be spreading out the $85M cap-hit poison over two years:

... with a post-June 1 designation. Denver will be left with cap hits of $35.4 million in 2024 and $49.6 million in 2025 before being free of the QB’s contract in 2026. Because the quarterback was already going to have a $35.4 million salary cap hit this season, his release technically does not put the team in a bigger cap hole than they already were in 2024 (the Broncos are about $14 million over the cap).
Wilson will be paid by Denver no matter what, so it makes more sense for him to give his next team a bargain, perhaps signing for the league minimum ($1.21 million). That would help out his next club while sticking it to the Broncos, and he’ll get paid regardless, so it’s the most likely outcome.

Ouch. There is talk about him going to Vegas, where he could again stick it to the Broncos on the field twice a year. Maybe Atlanta has a better shot at reaching the playoffs? Or Pittsburgh??

[alexwilkins]

If I understood what was said here correctly, whatever his next team pays him will be subtracted from what the Broncos owe him. So, say we sign him for a minimum for him, which is like $1.6mil, he’ll still get like $39mil from Denver. Which is appealing to me.

[RichH55]

If I understood what was said here correctly, whatever his next team pays him will be subtracted from what the Broncos owe him. So, say we sign him for a minimum for him, which is like $1.6mil, he’ll still get like $39mil from Denver. Which is appealing to me.

Yep and he will want a 1 Year Deal to try and rehab his value too

[Rusty Trombagent]

great reason to revisit russ' lasting cultural impact:

[Heinz D.]

Absolutely insane amount of dead money. I wonder if Pittsburgh will sign him now.

They're going to. He'll compete with Pickett for the starting job.

How does this not cripple the Broncos for the next two years?

I dunno...divine intervention?

[RichH55]

great reason to revisit russ' lasting cultural impact:

This also works with Aaron Hernandez - and that sandwich has Avocado

[The Marshall Plan]

Good god...I can't believe I was on board with Pace offering the moon for him. I'm also glad that the Seahawks said no when he did.

How does this not cripple the Broncos for the next two years?

Same here, I wanted Russ in Chicago. Oops.

Interesting what happened to Wilson when he got taken away from Pete Carroll and then in the earlier years that defense.

It's almost like a QB needs a support system in the form of a good HC and teammates to be successful.

[LacertineForest]

Same here, I wanted Russ in Chicago. Oops.

Interesting what happened to Wilson when he got taken away from Pete Carroll and then in the earlier years that defense.

It's almost like a QB needs a support system in the form of a good HC and teammates to be successful.

Yes, but it doesn't guarantee success if a QB doesn't have it in the first place (Trubisky comes to mind). It's not like Wilson didn't have good years after the Legion of Boom was dismantled. You can't just throw a dude to the wolves with no support, but you also need the right guy to elevate the team to the highest level.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Interesting what happened to Wilson when he got taken away from Pete Carroll and then in the earlier years that defense.

It's almost like a QB needs a support system in the form of a good HC and teammates to be successful.

Are you suggesting Sean Payton isn't a good HC?

Statistically Wilson had a productive season. He ranked 8th with a 98.0 passer rating, 9th in TD passes (26) and 3rd in TD% (5.5), threw only 8 INTs with an INT% of 1.8 and completed 66.4% of his passes (13th). He had a passer rating over 100 in 8 out of 15 games he played and over 90 in another 3.

The problem is it didn't result in much in the way of yards and points, Payton and Wilson clearly didn't get on, Wilson's contract was problematic and he wasn't prepared to accept changes to his guarantees.

[Rusty Trombagent]

Interesting what happened to Wilson when he got taken away from Pete Carroll and then in the earlier years that defense.

It's almost like a QB needs a support system in the form of a good HC and teammates to be successful.

Are you suggesting Sean Payton isn't a good HC?

Statistically Wilson had a productive season. He ranked 8th with a 98.0 passer rating, 9th in TD passes (26) and 3rd in TD% (5.5), threw only 8 INTs with an INT% of 1.8 and completed 66.4% of his passes (13th). He had a passer rating over 100 in 8 out of 15 games he played and over 90 in another 3.

The problem is it didn't result in much in the way of yards and points, Payton and Wilson clearly didn't get on, Wilson's contract was problematic and he wasn't prepared to accept changes to his guarantees.

It really is funny because the whole thing with Denver was they were a QB away from being a serious superbowl contender.

[The Marshall Plan]

Interesting what happened to Wilson when he got taken away from Pete Carroll and then in the earlier years that defense.

It's almost like a QB needs a support system in the form of a good HC and teammates to be successful.

Are you suggesting Sean Payton isn't a good HC?

Statistically Wilson had a productive season. He ranked 8th with a 98.0 passer rating, 9th in TD passes (26) and 3rd in TD% (5.5), threw only 8 INTs with an INT% of 1.8 and completed 66.4% of his passes (13th). He had a passer rating over 100 in 8 out of 15 games he played and over 90 in another 3.

The problem is it didn't result in much in the way of yards and points, Payton and Wilson clearly didn't get on, Wilson's contract was problematic and he wasn't prepared to accept changes to his guarantees.

You either didn’t read the whole post or you deliberately ignored the other half.

What was the support system or quality of teammates like in Denver?

[wab]

Are you suggesting Sean Payton isn't a good HC?

Statistically Wilson had a productive season. He ranked 8th with a 98.0 passer rating, 9th in TD passes (26) and 3rd in TD% (5.5), threw only 8 INTs with an INT% of 1.8 and completed 66.4% of his passes (13th). He had a passer rating over 100 in 8 out of 15 games he played and over 90 in another 3.

The problem is it didn't result in much in the way of yards and points, Payton and Wilson clearly didn't get on, Wilson's contract was problematic and he wasn't prepared to accept changes to his guarantees.

You either didn’t read the whole post or you deliberately ignored the other half.

What was the support system or quality of teammates like in Denver?

In 2022 his support system in Denver was arguably as good or better than it was when he made a pro bowl in Seattle the year before. The issue was that Hackett was an absolute buffoon and essentially gave Russ total autonomy over the offense.

In 2023 his offense remained largely the same, but the defense was...inconsistent at best. The problem then became that Russ had been given so much power, it was hard for Sean Payton to come in and put that toothpaste back in the tube. So they butted heads.

The reasons Russ failed in Denver were not due to his talent or his supporting cast. It was because the entire situation was mismanaged.

[crueltyabc]

He could still succeed in the right situation but he no longer has the ability to elevate a team. He is no longer athletic enough to extend plays to compensate for bad oline and he's always been limited in terms of his ability to throw to the middle of the field. His veteran savvy and leadership is offset by his cringey personality. I can't currently think of a situation where he makes sense and def don't want him in Chicago.

[LacertineForest]

Why wouldn't the Raiders sign him to a vet minimum deal? You make the (arch rival) Broncos eat as much of that money as possible, get a cheap QB for a couple of years, and he could be a pretty decent player for them when paired up with Adams, Jacobs, etc. Would Russ be okay with a vet minimum deal if he still makes $40+ mil per year total? It would certainly allow Vegas to buy some nice pieces around him.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Why wouldn't the Raiders sign him to a vet minimum deal? You make the (arch rival) Broncos eat as much of that money as possible, get a cheap QB for a couple of years, and he could be a pretty decent player for them when paired up with Adams, Jacobs, etc. Would Russ be okay with a vet minimum deal if he still makes $40+ mil per year total? It would certainly allow Vegas to buy some nice pieces around him.

If you were Russ would you be interested in a vet minimum deal right now?

[LacertineForest]

Why wouldn't the Raiders sign him to a vet minimum deal? You make the (arch rival) Broncos eat as much of that money as possible, get a cheap QB for a couple of years, and he could be a pretty decent player for them when paired up with Adams, Jacobs, etc. Would Russ be okay with a vet minimum deal if he still makes $40+ mil per year total? It would certainly allow Vegas to buy some nice pieces around him.

If you were Russ would you be interested in a vet minimum deal right now?

How much is he realistically going to make? Probably not more than $37 million per year or whatever the Broncos owe him. If no team will give him that much, why not stick it to the Broncos and take the money mostly off the Broncos rather than your new team, who will have more resources to use on players then. There might even be a way to structure a contract so that the two years where the new team pays the vet minimum for the two years the Broncos are on the hook, but then guarantees him money (via workout bonuses or whatever) in year 3 or beyond. Of course, Russ would want it structured so he'd still get that money if they cut him, but I'm sure there's a way to make that work.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

If you were Russ would you be interested in a vet minimum deal right now?

How much is he realistically going to make? Probably not more than $37 million per year or whatever the Broncos owe him. If no team will give him that much, why not stick it to the Broncos and take the money mostly off the Broncos rather than your new team, who will have more resources to use on players then. There might even be a way to structure a contract so that the two years where the new team pays the vet minimum for the two years the Broncos are on the hook, but then guarantees him money (via workout bonuses or whatever) in year 3 or beyond. Of course, Russ would want it structured so he'd still get that money if they cut him, but I'm sure there's a way to make that work.

That's all well and good, but if I was Russ I would use a bit of the Broncos money that they owe me - rent a fishing boat with a (deluxe) exclusive office and retire into the sunrise.

[wab]

How much is he realistically going to make? Probably not more than $37 million per year or whatever the Broncos owe him. If no team will give him that much, why not stick it to the Broncos and take the money mostly off the Broncos rather than your new team, who will have more resources to use on players then. There might even be a way to structure a contract so that the two years where the new team pays the vet minimum for the two years the Broncos are on the hook, but then guarantees him money (via workout bonuses or whatever) in year 3 or beyond. Of course, Russ would want it structured so he'd still get that money if they cut him, but I'm sure there's a way to make that work.

That's all well and good, but if I was Russ I would use a bit of the Broncos money that they owe me - rent a fishing boat with a (deluxe) exclusive office and retire into the sunrise.

If he retires he doesn't get that money. At least not all of it.

[wab]

He's going to go somewhere for a year, play for 4 million, collect 34 from the Broncos and try to increase his value. He's 35 and healthy...so he's got 3-5 years left in him.

He can collect Broncos checks for two years and then get one last meaningful 2-3 year deal and try to win another ring.

[RichH55]

Why wouldn't the Raiders sign him to a vet minimum deal? You make the (arch rival) Broncos eat as much of that money as possible, get a cheap QB for a couple of years, and he could be a pretty decent player for them when paired up with Adams, Jacobs, etc. Would Russ be okay with a vet minimum deal if he still makes $40+ mil per year total? It would certainly allow Vegas to buy some nice pieces around him.

If you were Russ would you be interested in a vet minimum deal right now?

Why wouldn't you be?

[Boris13c]

Why wouldn't the Raiders sign him to a vet minimum deal? You make the (arch rival) Broncos eat as much of that money as possible, get a cheap QB for a couple of years, and he could be a pretty decent player for them when paired up with Adams, Jacobs, etc. Would Russ be okay with a vet minimum deal if he still makes $40+ mil per year total? It would certainly allow Vegas to buy some nice pieces around him.

If you were Russ would you be interested in a vet minimum deal right now?

if he wants to continue playing he will ... gone are the days when he could set his own price ... plus, thanks to the Broncos, his primary interest should not be $$$ ... it should be finding a team that actually wants him

[RichH55]

If you were Russ would you be interested in a vet minimum deal right now?

if he wants to continue playing he will ... gone are the days when he could set his own price ... plus, thanks to the Broncos, his primary interest should not be $$$ ... it should be finding a team that actually wants him

Well it's also - How does say a $ 4 million deal (or even $10 million 1 year deal) Help Wilson when there is an Offset in that Denver contract and anything less than like a $37-38 million deal (Something like that - Basically a Number he AINT approaching)

So anything over the Vet Min - just helps Denver. It does NOT put extra money in Wilsons pocket. And a Vet Min contract makes him more attractive to a New Team AND lets them have more Cap Room to put talent around you. And is a FU to Denver. Win-Win-Win for him

If anything for Wilson - I'd want a crazy weird contract. Like basically If I'm healthy and don't play 75% of the starting snaps in a game I get a Million Dollar bonus per game. Basically incentives for the New Team to start me and make it a negative if they bench me