Russell Wilson may be willing to take a huge discount in his next NFL to…
Jeremy Fowler reported Wilson may be willing to take the veteran’s minimum for the 2024 season once he’s released by the Denver Broncos.
“Everybody I’ve talked to around the league expects the Denver Broncos at some point around the new league year in the next few weeks to rip the band-aid off and release Russell Wilson even though they owe him $39 million in guaranteed money,” Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. “But they can start new, he can go sign somewhere else. The feeling is he’ll sign for considerably less, maybe even the league minimum, because he’s got all that money in hand guaranteed. And so, he’s going to have options. The feeling I get from talking to teams and scouts is that he’s still an NFL starter, there will be a job somewhere for him.
The Broncos owe Wilson $39 million next season. Denver would take on an NFL record $85 million deap charge for releasing Wilson, but the team has no other recourse if it wants to move on. Wilson’s $37 million salary for 2025 guarantees on March 17 of this year if he’s still on the roster.
One possible help for the Broncos is the fact Wilson’s deal contains offset language, meaning the more he makes next season from another team, the less cash Denver gives up. In theory, Wilson could creatively structure his deal with his next team to inflict the maximum possible damage on the Broncos. He could take a deal with a structure that pays him the minimum for 2024 while also giving him a hefty guaranteed roster bonus for 2025 with his new deal, essentially allowing him to double dip.
Even if we acknowledge Wilson is on the decline and is no longer performing at a Hall of Fame level, the going rate for a starter of his current caliber is well over the $20 million mark.
Jimmy Garoppolo, who has accomplished a fraction of what Wilson has in his career, landed a three-year, $72.8 million contract last offseason. That should be the absolute bare minimum of Wilson’s expectations on the open market.
That said, Wilson could make himself more attractive to teams by showing a willingness to take less for now. That route could give Wilson an opportunity to find the best team willing to hand him the starting job and the potential to re-enter the open market a year from now, when his value should be higher.
The Broncos, meanwhile, will have to find a way to replace Wilson with about a third of their cap sheet tied up in his dead money.
