The Denver Broncos cut Russell Wilson during the 2024 offseason, just shy of the second anniversary of the trade that acquired him from the Seattle Seahawks.
The Broncos incurred an $85 million dead cap hit with the move. However, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said the financial aspect did not complicate matters. And they replaced Wilson at QB1 with rookie first-round pick Bo Nix.
Payton has suggested the chemistry is better with Nix than with Wilson.
But Wilson took advantage of his release too, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 9-3 and atop the AFC North standings. And Wilson is positioning himself to benefit further.
“The one-year, $1.2 million deal Wilson signed with the Steelers (while still collecting $37.8 million from Denver on his previous deal) ranks as the biggest bargain in the league this season,” The Athletic’s Mike Sando wrote on December 5.
“Wilson’s passing production in six starts projects to 4,706 yards with 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions over a 17-game schedule. The final five games deliver some difficult defenses, but with the Steelers all but assured a playoff berth, Wilson has a great opportunity to make Pittsburgh his longer-term home.”
Russell Wilson in a 44-38 win @ the Bengals : 29/38 for a season-high 414 yards, 3 TD’s, INT & a season-high 126.4 QB Rating (2nd most passing yards in a game in his career)
The Steelers went 4-2 with Justin Fields under center to start the season as Wilson nursed a calf injury.
They are 5-1 with Wilson at the helm.
Notably, the Broncos and Steelers are within one game of facing each other on Super Wild Card Weekend this season. Pittsburgh is the No. 3 seed in the AFC heading into the Sunday slate in Week 14.
Denver is No. 7, so they would not meet until the second round, if at all, were the playoffs to begin on December 6.
However, a Broncos win and Baltimore Ravens loss in Week 15 would give Denver the No. 6 seed, setting up another revenge game. If the Broncos remain at No. 7 but the Steelers supplant the Buffalo Bills as the No. 2 seed, that would also pit the two teams against one another.
Sean Payton, Broncos Incurred NFL Record Dead Cap Hit to End Russell Wilson Era
GettyRussell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos talks with head coach Sean Payton during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is turning into a win-win for both organizations. They seem to have found solutions to their respective years-long QB searches.
Still, the cost to the Broncos was historic.
“It became apparent pretty quickly that Sean Payton and Russell Wilson were like oil and water after Payton was hired to coach the Broncos last year. The marriage of convenience between the two came to an end in March when the Broncos released Wilson with a post-June 1 designation,” former sports agent and CBS Sports’ Joel Corry wrote on December 4.
“The Broncos are contending with $85 million in dead money because of Wilson’s departure. The $53 million for 2024, which includes Wilson’s fully guaranteed $39 million 2024 base salary from the five-year, $245 million contract extension he signed in August 2022, is an NFL record of dead money related an individual player in one league year. The other $32 million is a 2025 salary cap charge for the Broncos because of the post-June 1 designation.”
Mike Tomlin and Russell Wilson needed each other:
“44-38 wins over Joe Burrow were not available to this franchise the last several years. There’s multiple ways to win.” — @ColinCowherd
Their salary cap situation led to a quiet free agency period during the 2024 offseason. Per Over The Cap, the Broncos have $2.7 million in space as of December 6. They are projected to have $63.4 million in 2025, though.
Russell Wilson Has Made Key Improvements With Steelers
GettyRussell Wilson #3 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Wilson did not play poorly in his final season with the Broncos, the only under Payton. He completed 66.4% of his passes for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in 15 games. Wilson’s stats improved significantly from the 2022 season; Year 1 with the Broncos.
He shook off a 1-5 start, rattling off five straight wins.
A 1-3 stretch from Weeks 13 through 16 ultimately did him in. However, the Broncos were 7-8 with Wilson as QB1 and Payton benched him for current QB2 Jarrett Stidham.
Notably, though, Wilson has completed 65.8% of his passes for 1,626 yards, 10 TDs, and 3 picks this season. His touchdown rate is lower than in 2023, and his sack rate is less than 1% improved, per Pro Football Reference.
However, his attempts, yards, and pass success rate are all up.
You probably think Russell Wilson is playing pretty well right now, but I’m here to tell you he’s playing EVEN BETTER than you think he is👀
Right now, he ranks: ⬇️
1st in Yards Per Attempt (8.7)
1st in Turnover Worthy Play% (1.3%)
5th in Big Time Throw% (6.1%)
10th in TD%…
Wilson is on track to set a new career-high mark with 8.7 yards per attempt, which leads the league through Thursday Night Football in Week 14.
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Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson Has ‘Great Opportunity’ After Historic Decision