QB Russell Wilson, PIT (1 Viewer)

[General Malaise]

put me in the minority camp that thinks Russ played pretty well this year, not great but better than a lot of QBs. seems to me and i can be wrong that Payton never wanted Russ to work. I mean yes they won some games but could've let him air it out a bit and take some chances I mean not a ton to lose really. Also Russ really didn't have a whole lot to work with. Sutton was best wr by far, and not much else, running game was meh.

But they didn't trade away the farm and pay him a kings' ransom to play 'pretty well'. I'd argue he's played pretty average and the numbers bear that out. He was brought in to win and win right away. He's been a failure in that regard. His locker room antics are juvenile and his teammates think he's a dork. Denver has 3 WRs on the roster selected in the 1st or 2nd round. A running back taken in the 2nd round. They surrounded him with talent and yet, he did nothing with it.

 

[Gally]

Seems like the NFLPA would have issue with this type of benching. It makes sense for the team but seems like it is a circumventing of honoring the total contract.

has been done before though, pretty sure Carr got benched last year for same reason

I know and since it is becoming more prevalent I would expect the NFLPA will start to do something about it.

 

[zamboni]

Seems like the NFLPA would have issue with this type of benching. It makes sense for the team but seems like it is a circumventing of honoring the total contract.

has been done before though, pretty sure Carr got benched last year for same reason

I know and since it is becoming more prevalent I would expect the NFLPA will start to do something about it.

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

 

[Drake Hater]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Good point. Broncos are still on the playoff bubble and are possibly just giving that up with Stidham.

 

[Stoneworker]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

 

[menobrown]

Seems like the NFLPA would have issue with this type of benching. It makes sense for the team but seems like it is a circumventing of honoring the total contract.

Truly don't think the NFLPA cares the tiniest bit about who is getting benched or not. They are far more concerned with pay then play.

Only time I think they'd have an issue with a benching is if they felt a team was benching a player because he was about to hit a incentive based performance bonus.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Long time Russ hater and wish i could pile on but he actually has been fairly decent since the team bottomed out at 0-4 IIRC?
They got ripped good and that was after Coach Sean was running his mouth how bad the last coaching staff was
7-4 since then?

If Coach SP is benching Wilson with 2 weeks left in the season, there are NO PLANS to bring him back so we might as well be real about his options and the immense cost to Denver
I have glossed over this on numerous occasions but he currently sits as an $85M cap hit next season and counts $39M ATC in '24
I don't care how you want to slice it, whoever is buying Russ off their hands is going to have to somehow get creative and ask Wilson to restructure so they can make it easier for Denver to trade Wilson...which also brings up the question of who is the market for Wilson?

The Carolina Panthers are desperate and maybe sitting Bryce Young down for most of '24 is a needed step where he can learn behind a Veteran...Tepper does not have any patience though so I don't think this scenario will actually work out. Is Russ a back up for all 32 NFL teams moving forward? If the answer is yes then Denver is STUCK with him

 

[General Malaise]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Good point. Broncos are still on the playoff bubble and are possibly just giving that up with Stidham.

Unless of course Stidham is the better QB who gives them a better chance of winning. I think Payton realizes that now.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Russ Wilson=Derek Carr
It's true, their end of season in '22 and '23 is mirroring the other

 

[General Malaise]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

A team that wasn't dysfunctional would have made the move sooner, imo.

 

[General Malaise]

Russ Wilson=Derek Carr
It's true, their end of season in '22 and '23 is mirroring the other

Well, except that Wilson won a super bowl. I don't think Carr has ever even won a playoff game.

 

[Joe Bryant]

think this is a good example of how it's not true when people say the blanket statement of "You can't move off _______"

Of course they can. However it’s also 86M in dead cap money.

Easily one of the worst trades in nfl history.

For sure. Dead money is part of the equation.

And yes, it was an awful trade. But that's my point. Smart businesses accept what's in the past as past. And don't hang on to a bad decision because they've sunk cost into it.

Make the right decision going forward. And hopefully learn from the past.

 

[Stoneworker]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

A team that wasn't dysfunctional would have made the move sooner, imo.

Baloney. Pretty dumb to make a starting QB change in the middle of a playoff race.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Russ Wilson=Derek Carr
It's true, their end of season in '22 and '23 is mirroring the other

Well, except that Wilson won a super bowl. I don't think Carr has ever even won a playoff game.

I thought about that, just focusing on the end of season...
What you wrote is why i think there WILL be a market for Russ. but again the contract he signed cannot just be erased or undone and that is going to hamstring any trade with others
Unless...say someone like Chicago which has multiple 1st Rd picks and can do almost anything with lots of cap space
Decides to change trajectories or tries to change their pitiful team arc ever since Super Bowl XX and just see what a guy like Russ looks like in a Bears uniform, deal off Fields for more picks and then start feasting thru the Draft around him. If I were the new Bears GM, it would be tempting.

I don't think Denver's offense is that great. Injured RB1 not the same after his ligament tears. Jeudy and Sutton are not starting on a lot of NFL rosters.
The OL is not that great either IMHO, think Russ could do well in the right circumstances and I can't believe i'm defending him because I really dislike him and his antics

 

[Joe Bryant]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

Yes. Stidham was signed on the first possible day of free agency (Mar 13). This wasn't a "Well I guess we need a backup" type thing. This was an aggressive go out and get your guy move in March.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

 

[Deamon]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

 

[General Malaise]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

A team that wasn't dysfunctional would have made the move sooner, imo.

Baloney. Pretty dumb to make a starting QB change in the middle of a playoff race.

If they had made it sooner, they might actually be IN that race. As it stands, season's over for 'em. See what Stidham can do with his audition.

 

[Anarchy99]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

I posted this before in this thread. Stidham couldn't beat out the ghost of Cam Newton, rookie Mac Jones, or 36-year-old Brian Hoyer in his 3 years in NE to advance beyond 3rd QB. The Pats essentially gave him to the Raiders (and Josh McDaniels) for a pick swap (Stidham and a 7th for a 6th in return). NE moved up 17 spots on the last day of the draft to move on from Stidham.

Maybe his 74.5 career passing rating in 131 attempts is a mirage, but other than the one game he had against the Niners, he really hasn't done much. Could he have turned the corner on his third team in his five seasons? Stranger things have happened, but I personally have my doubts.

 

[Stoneworker]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

The only possible scenario IMO is where Russ restructures his contract including a pay cut to FA market value.

Obviously very low odds made even worse by the sideline blowup two weeks ago. Can't imagine Wilson would want to endure that humiliation ever again if given a choice.

 

[Gatorman]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

No, I don't see it. Basically there are kind of three options these days when it comes to QBs, and the 4th (Paying a kings ransom for someone elses headache) seems to no longer be an option.

Consider: Wentz, Russ, Watson, Goff, and Rodgers.

All were/are good SB winning QBs at one point or another (Wentz is kind of the exception, but he did lead the Eagles there only to get hurt) who fell out of favor with their coaching staff or wore out their welcome one way or another. Of those guys, only Goff has led his new team anywhere. (Jury still out on AA-ronm but he's done so much meddling with the Jets FO decisions that I don't think it ends well). I guess Cousins and Stafford should be considered here as well, but they didn't really have too much drama in leaving their teams (and anyone leaving the redskins/commanders during the Snyder era gets a pass)

so:

1) get a good rookie on a cheap contract. This is the gold standard
2) Keep your good rookie on a contract the team can use for cap help once he proves he is the goods
3) Get a cheap Veteran to keep your team afloat while you angle for option 1 or 2.

Why pay up for a 35 year old QB when you can get a Mayfield or a Brissett or a tyrod for less....

 

[Stoneworker]

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

I posted this before in this thread. Stidham couldn't beat out the ghost of Cam Newton, rookie Mac Jones, or 36-year-old Brian Hoyer in his 3 years in NE to advance beyond 3rd QB. The Pats essentially gave him to the Raiders (and Josh McDaniels) for a pick swap (Stidham and a 7th for a 6th in return). NE moved up 17 spots on the last day of the draft to move on from Stidham.

Maybe his 74.5 career passing rating in 131 attempts is a mirage, but other than the one game he had against the Niners, he really hasn't done much. Could he have turned the corner on his third team in his five seasons? Stranger things have happened, but I personally have my doubts.

Stidham should be much better getting the ball in WR's hands going through progressions within the play design than Wilson ever did.

Russ was elite in 2-min drill but well below average in base offense. It was either 1st read, run, scramble and deep shot or dump-off to TE/RB.

Open question whether one total package is better than the other but obviously that is what Payton wants to see.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

I posted this before in this thread. Stidham couldn't beat out the ghost of Cam Newton, rookie Mac Jones, or 36-year-old Brian Hoyer in his 3 years in NE to advance beyond 3rd QB. The Pats essentially gave him to the Raiders (and Josh McDaniels) for a pick swap (Stidham and a 7th for a 6th in return). NE moved up 17 spots on the last day of the draft to move on from Stidham.

Maybe his 74.5 career passing rating in 131 attempts is a mirage, but other than the one game he had against the Niners, he really hasn't done much. Could he have turned the corner on his third team in his five seasons? Stranger things have happened, but I personally have my doubts.

Exactly, it's not like he hasn't had chances AND the people who drafted him and believed in him like McDaniels from the Pats/Raiders, if this guy were really good, those who were part of drafting him or coaching him the last 3-4 years wold have made sure everyone already knew.

It's disturbing to think Denver really believes this guy could have made a difference and just sat him on the bench all year.

 

[General Malaise]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

lol at this dork going 'ballistic'....

Original Subway Russell Wilson Commercial ("Be Careful, it's SPICY!") #shorts

Thanks for watching! Please like & subscribe!*Subway owns all rights to this clip

www.youtube.com

 

[Anarchy99]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

Not sure that Wilson playing or sitting the rest of this year impacts anything pay wise. His 2024 salary and bonus are already guaranteed (a combined $39M). I believe his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed if he is still on the Denver roster on the 5th day of the 2024 league year.

 

[Mitchie]

put me in the minority camp that thinks Russ played pretty well this year, not great but better than a lot of QBs. seems to me and i can be wrong that Payton never wanted Russ to work. I mean yes they won some games but could've let him air it out a bit and take some chances I mean not a ton to lose really. Also Russ really didn't have a whole lot to work with. Sutton was best wr by far, and not much else, running game was meh.

But they didn't trade away the farm and pay him a kings' ransom to play 'pretty well'. I'd argue he's played pretty average and the numbers bear that out. He was brought in to win and win right away. He's been a failure in that regard. His locker room antics are juvenile and his teammates think he's a dork. Denver has 3 WRs on the roster selected in the 1st or 2nd round. A running back taken in the 2nd round. They surrounded him with talent and yet, he did nothing with it.

the round the players were drafted is about as relevant as what i had for dinner, Jeudy is not very good, Javonte has been average, maybe he'll be better next year further out from his injury but who knows, if not the worst group of offensive weapons can't see how they're not bottom 3. hard to know for sure what his teammates think, maybe you're right but these things can't also get overblown. Sutton showed support for him earlier this year for one.

 

[Mitchie]

Seems like the NFLPA would have issue with this type of benching. It makes sense for the team but seems like it is a circumventing of honoring the total contract.

has been done before though, pretty sure Carr got benched last year for same reason

Wasn’t that for performance though as well - or at least justifiably? I don’t recall the specifics at the time.

my recollection is that it was pretty obvious what they were doing, ironically Stidham was the backup for Carr last year.

 

[Terpman22]

He is owed nothing more than what he already was paid.

Huh. He is going to be 86M in dead cap hits through the next 2 years.

I meant to say nothing more than Guranteed pending contract, but they aren't gonna be on the hook for the whole entire thing. Bad wording on my part.

 

[zamboni]

Also wonder how the teams around the Broncos in terms of overall record feel about the team basically packing in the tent the rest of the way.

Not seeing a "give up" at at all with this change.

Stidham was hand-picked by Payton and aggressively pursued in the offseason, paid a lot of money for a backup ($5mm/yr), and his skillset is much more suited toward Payton's offense.

This could very well be an upgrade

Yes. Stidham was signed on the first possible day of free agency (Mar 13). This wasn't a "Well I guess we need a backup" type thing. This was an aggressive go out and get your guy move in March.

I don’t know - Payton spending $5 million on day one of FA didn’t strike me as getting your guy per se. Rather getting some insurance for Wilson in case he flames out further and recognizing that decent backup QBs are hard to find - thus striking first.

Stat lines don’t mean everything, but nothing indicated from Wilson’s recent performance that a change was necessary. Maybe Payton does actually think that Stidham is a better option, but this seems to be totally money driven.

 

[Deamon]

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

Not sure that Wilson playing or sitting the rest of this year impacts anything pay wise.

The reason they are doing this is that if he gets hurt badly in the final 2 games, there's an injury clause in his contract that he is owed an extra 36 million (if he fails his physical in March).

They're pretty obviously doing this to avoid that risk of him getting hurt and having to pay him that extra huge chunk.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

Not sure that Wilson playing or sitting the rest of this year impacts anything pay wise. His 2024 salary and bonus are already guaranteed (a combined $39M). I believe his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed if he is still on the Denver roster on the 5th day of the 2024 league year.

Then what Deamon wrote simply isn't true, not trying to debunk him in the SP but it can't be both of the ways you two paint it and I tend to side with Russ already agreeing on his pay this year, seems like if there was $35M bonus attached to Weeks 17 and 18 that the media would be all over it even if it were to simply show a distrust with other players around the NFL and not just Wilson.

 

[Mitchie]

I mean his yardage has been low but offense has been super conservative but guy has 26 TD's and 8 int's, point me to another time in the history of the NFL that anything close to that stat line got benched for performance.

 

[Deamon]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

Not sure that Wilson playing or sitting the rest of this year impacts anything pay wise. His 2024 salary and bonus are already guaranteed (a combined $39M). I believe his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed if he is still on the Denver roster on the 5th day of the 2024 league year.

Then what Deamon wrote simply isn't true, not trying to debunk him in the SP but it can't be both of the ways you two paint it and I tend to side with Russ already agreeing on his pay this year, seems like if there was $35M bonus attached to Weeks 17 and 18 that the media would be all over it even if it were to simply show a distrust with other players around the NFL and not just Wilson.

I never once implied this. See my last post.

 

[Anarchy99]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

Not sure that Wilson playing or sitting the rest of this year impacts anything pay wise. His 2024 salary and bonus are already guaranteed (a combined $39M). I believe his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed if he is still on the Denver roster on the 5th day of the 2024 league year.

Then what Deamon wrote simply isn't true, not trying to debunk him in the SP but it can't be both of the ways you two paint it and I tend to side with Russ already agreeing on his pay this year, seems like if there was $35M bonus attached to Weeks 17 and 18 that the media would be all over it even if it were to simply show a distrust with other players around the NFL and not just Wilson.

He explained in the post above mine. Wilson apparently has an injury guarantee that would guarantee his 2025 salary if he is unable to play at the start of the 2024 season. So he's not really missing out on a $35M bonus, he's just not going to get a chance to get hurt to avoid the injury guarantee.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

think this is a good example of how it's not true when people say the blanket statement of "You can't move off _______"

Of course they can. However it’s also 86M in dead cap money.

Easily one of the worst trades in nfl history.

He is owed nothing more than what he already was paid.

Huh. He is going to be 86M in dead cap hits through the next 2 years.

Agree that all of the Salary Cap sites have Russ counting $86M in dead cap, they cannot just release him and shrug their shoulders.
But all they need is just 1 team willing to make concessions that has nothing going at QB and wants to get some butts in the seats on Sundays
I can think of a few of these teams...are the Raiders that impossible of a scenario? They really don't have much right now and he would have instant credibility there
He also would be similar to what they sent packing at this point in NFL History despite his 2 SB appearances which is WHY I think a few teams will roll the dice instantly

 

[Deamon]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

Not sure that Wilson playing or sitting the rest of this year impacts anything pay wise. His 2024 salary and bonus are already guaranteed (a combined $39M). I believe his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed if he is still on the Denver roster on the 5th day of the 2024 league year.

Then what Deamon wrote simply isn't true, not trying to debunk him in the SP but it can't be both of the ways you two paint it and I tend to side with Russ already agreeing on his pay this year, seems like if there was $35M bonus attached to Weeks 17 and 18 that the media would be all over it even if it were to simply show a distrust with other players around the NFL and not just Wilson.

He explained in the post above mine. Wilson apparently has an injury guarantee that would guarantee his 2025 salary if he is unable to play at the start of the 2024 season. So he's not really missing out on a $35M bonus, he's just not going to get a chance to get hurt to avoid the injury guarantee.

Correct. My wording was "Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus". I guess I could have worded it better. But yes, they're doing it so they can avoid this 35 mil if he doesn't pass his March physical

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

The only possible scenario IMO is where Russ restructures his contract including a pay cut to FA market value.

Obviously very low odds made even worse by the sideline blowup two weeks ago. Can't imagine Wilson would want to endure that humiliation ever again if given a choice.

How much more humiliating can it get than being benched the last 2 weeks of the season with the team hovering around .500 after an 0-4 start?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Russ Wilson and Sean Payton are officially NO MORE
We can all agree on that, right?
There is no circumstance or scenario where you see Russ Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform in 2024, correct?
Is there anyone who feels he will be a Bronco next season?

I mean Russ can't exactly be thrilled with this decision. Especially when it's so blatant that it's ONLY to prevent him from possibly getting a 35 million bonus.

I'd think he's gone. Not sure how he's even going to want to be on the sidelines cheering on his team.

I did not know that these final 2 games equal $35M and since it's already a sunk cost and NOT Sean Payton's money
If I were Russ I would be going ballistic and I wouldn't be shy about it.

Not sure that Wilson playing or sitting the rest of this year impacts anything pay wise. His 2024 salary and bonus are already guaranteed (a combined $39M). I believe his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed if he is still on the Denver roster on the 5th day of the 2024 league year.

Then what Deamon wrote simply isn't true, not trying to debunk him in the SP but it can't be both of the ways you two paint it and I tend to side with Russ already agreeing on his pay this year, seems like if there was $35M bonus attached to Weeks 17 and 18 that the media would be all over it even if it were to simply show a distrust with other players around the NFL and not just Wilson.

He explained in the post above mine. Wilson apparently has an injury guarantee that would guarantee his 2025 salary if he is unable to play at the start of the 2024 season. So he's not really missing out on a $35M bonus, he's just not going to get a chance to get hurt to avoid the injury guarantee.

Regardless, he is an $85M dead cap hit so he is not going to be cut/released, another team has to emerge and there could be more than just one if you look around the NFL
I think it's hard to get inside the minds of the FO/Owner/Head Coach, we just know he won't be playing again this season and that likely spells the end of his time under Payton.

That said, it doesn't change the fact they are set to absorb an $85M cap hit so why would another team want to help them out? Their belief in Russ Wilson or quick greed to fill up some seats, that could limit the field of prospective buyers

 

[Deamon]

Regardless, he is an $85M dead cap hit so he is not going to be cut/released, another team has to emerge and there could be more than just one if you look around the NFL
I think it's hard to get inside the minds of the FO/Owner/Head Coach, we just know he won't be playing again this season and that likely spells the end of his time under Payton.

That said, it doesn't change the fact they are set to absorb an $85M cap hit so why would another team want to help them out? Their belief in Russ Wilson or quick greed to fill up some seats, that could limit the field of prospective buyers

He can't be released or traded before June 1st (otherwise there would be an enormous cap hit to Denver). Ideally Denver would trade him after June 1st, but by then, the market might be a lot more dried up after free agency and the draft.

My guess of most likely scenario is they cut him June 1st unless they can find a trade partner then. Can't see much happening before then.

 

[zamboni]

Some more details emerging:

https://x.com/schultz_report/status/1740121494343045508?s=46&t=kXp9uTPT7MTZKlfkEtBQZw

 

[Tau837]

@AndrewBrandt
The Broncos went all in on Russell Wilson with trade and financial compensation. Now it appears they're all out. And it will cost them.
If they cut him, they owe him $39M, which they can afford.
But would take an $85M Dead Cap hit, which no team can afford. 1/3 of the Cap.

I thought they only owed him $17m in remaining pay?

They owe him $17M in guaranteed salary and a $22M guaranteed bonus = $39M.

The bonus was not already paid?

Spotrac doesn't specify.

Normally, a 2024 option/roster bonus is paid soon after the start of the 2024 league year.

 

[General Malaise]

put me in the minority camp that thinks Russ played pretty well this year, not great but better than a lot of QBs. seems to me and i can be wrong that Payton never wanted Russ to work. I mean yes they won some games but could've let him air it out a bit and take some chances I mean not a ton to lose really. Also Russ really didn't have a whole lot to work with. Sutton was best wr by far, and not much else, running game was meh.

But they didn't trade away the farm and pay him a kings' ransom to play 'pretty well'. I'd argue he's played pretty average and the numbers bear that out. He was brought in to win and win right away. He's been a failure in that regard. His locker room antics are juvenile and his teammates think he's a dork. Denver has 3 WRs on the roster selected in the 1st or 2nd round. A running back taken in the 2nd round. They surrounded him with talent and yet, he did nothing with it.

the round the players were drafted is about as relevant as what i had for dinner, Jeudy is not very good, Javonte has been average, maybe he'll be better next year further out from his injury but who knows, if not the worst group of offensive weapons can't see how they're not bottom 3. hard to know for sure what his teammates think, maybe you're right but these things can't also get overblown. Sutton showed support for him earlier this year for one.

So they blew the draft picks? Huh. That's what dysfunctional teams do I guess.

 

[MAC_32]

@AndrewBrandt
The Broncos went all in on Russell Wilson with trade and financial compensation. Now it appears they're all out. And it will cost them.
If they cut him, they owe him $39M, which they can afford.
But would take an $85M Dead Cap hit, which no team can afford. 1/3 of the Cap.

I thought they only owed him $17m in remaining pay?

They owe him $17M in guaranteed salary and a $22M guaranteed bonus = $39M.

The bonus was not already paid?

Spotrac doesn't specify.

Normally, a 2024 option/roster bonus is paid soon after the start of the 2024 league year.

The March 21 trigger is for 2025; not 2024.

 

[MAC_32]

Regardless, he is an $85M dead cap hit so he is not going to be cut/released, another team has to emerge and there could be more than just one if you look around the NFL
I think it's hard to get inside the minds of the FO/Owner/Head Coach, we just know he won't be playing again this season and that likely spells the end of his time under Payton.

That said, it doesn't change the fact they are set to absorb an $85M cap hit so why would another team want to help them out? Their belief in Russ Wilson or quick greed to fill up some seats, that could limit the field of prospective buyers

He can't be released or traded before June 1st (otherwise there would be an enormous cap hit to Denver). Ideally Denver would trade him after June 1st, but by then, the market might be a lot more dried up after free agency and the draft.

My guess of most likely scenario is they cut him June 1st unless they can find a trade partner then. Can't see much happening before then.

Yep, they can't do anything before June 1 as they wouldn't be able to do any business between March 17 and then. Cap space is not static, but as is they're ~$18m under water in '24 and moving Russ (cut or trade) before June 1 would result in a $68m or $85m cap hit.

 

[Anarchy99]

2023 numbers . . .

Wilson
98.0 rating, 66.4% completion, 5.8% TD, 1.8% INT, 7.2 AY/A with 341/3 rushing

Mahomes
91.7 rating, 66.9% completion, 4.6% TD, 2.5% INT, 6.7 AY/A with 387/0 rushing

 

[zeeshan2]

oh boy

[Siciliano] Sean Payton on if Russell Wilson is getting too much blame: "I can't replace the entire offensive line. I can't bring in five new receivers..."

[Schultz] The #Broncos threatened to bench Russell Wilson weeks ago if he didn’t remove his injury guarantees. Russell Wilson’s benching by the Broncos today is solely financially related and has been in the works for weeks

 

[Tau837]

put me in the minority camp that thinks Russ played pretty well this year, not great but better than a lot of QBs. seems to me and i can be wrong that Payton never wanted Russ to work. I mean yes they won some games but could've let him air it out a bit and take some chances I mean not a ton to lose really. Also Russ really didn't have a whole lot to work with. Sutton was best wr by far, and not much else, running game was meh.

But they didn't trade away the farm and pay him a kings' ransom to play 'pretty well'. I'd argue he's played pretty average and the numbers bear that out. He was brought in to win and win right away. He's been a failure in that regard. His locker room antics are juvenile and his teammates think he's a dork. Denver has 3 WRs on the roster selected in the 1st or 2nd round. A running back taken in the 2nd round. They surrounded him with talent and yet, he did nothing with it.

Pretty well may be better than they can expect from their next starting QB. Between Peyton and Wilson, these were their QBs from 2016-2021:

1. Trevor Siemian
2. Paxton Lynch
3. Brock Osweiler
4. Case Keenum
5. Joe Flacco
6. Drew Lock
7. Brandon Allen
8. Jeff Driskel
9. Brett Rypien
10. Teddy Bridgewater

And now, Jarrett Stidham.



I'm not disagreeing that the Broncos made a bad trade and a much, much worse contract extension. Or that Wilson has been merely average or thereabouts this season, not great.

But who is walking through that door to do better? They aren't in position to get a top QB in this draft.

 

[Tau837]

@AndrewBrandt
The Broncos went all in on Russell Wilson with trade and financial compensation. Now it appears they're all out. And it will cost them.
If they cut him, they owe him $39M, which they can afford.
But would take an $85M Dead Cap hit, which no team can afford. 1/3 of the Cap.

I thought they only owed him $17m in remaining pay?

They owe him $17M in guaranteed salary and a $22M guaranteed bonus = $39M.

The bonus was not already paid?

Spotrac doesn't specify.

Normally, a 2024 option/roster bonus is paid soon after the start of the 2024 league year.

The March 21 trigger is for 2025; not 2024.

Yes, that's not what I commented on. The 2024 option bonus is already guaranteed. I was saying it probably hasn't been paid yet, because it is a 2024 option bonus, and thus likely paid soon after the start of the 2024 league year.

 

[massraider]

They can designate him a June 1 cut, and I think he's $53 mill dead cap '24, and $32 mill '25.







Just a great week for Raider Nation.