The latest Seattle Seahawks rumors show that the team’s former star quarterback Russell Wilson will be looking for a new team. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports the Denver Broncos are expected to cut Wilson by March 2024. This news comes after the Broncos revealed Wilson had been benched for Denver’s final two games of the season.
“Russell Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Denver Broncos in March, per league sources,” Russini detailed in a series of December 27, 2023 messages on X. “For almost two months, the quarterback has been starting knowing the organization was most likely going to move on him from after this season.
“The Broncos reached out to Wilson’s representatives in late October and explained that Wilson would lose the starting job and be made inactive for the rest of the season if he did not defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025, per multiple league sources,” Russini continued.
“Wilson has $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025 that will become guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March. Lawyers, including some with the NFLPA, were involved, and no changes were made to the contract.”
Denver Broncos Rumors: Denver’s Decision Comes After Russell Wilson Refused to Waive Injury Clauses in His Deal
The ex-Seahawks star’s five-year, $242 million contract extension has not even started yet in Denver. Wilson’s deal is slated to go through the 2028 season. Under Wilson’s deal, the quarterback would have a $35.4 million cap hit in 2024.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton is framing the move as aiming to provide a “spark” for the team. It is hard to imagine Wilson’s injury clauses are not the deciding factor.
“The Broncos threatened to bench Russell Wilson weeks ago if he didn’t remove his injury guarantees,” Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz noted in a lengthy December 27 message on X. “Russell Wilson’s benching by the Broncos today is solely financially related and has been in the works for weeks, per multiple sources with direct access to the situation.
“… The threat [to bench Wilson unless the quarterback adjusted his contract] however, ‘shocked him,’ and the two sides got into a major dispute on how to proceed.”
Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Russell Wilson’s Next Deal Could Be for the Vet Minimum
Russell Wilson’s response to Denver benching him:
There are two important things to note in regards to the Wilson saga. The former Pro Bowler has been better in 2023 compared to last season.
Wilson already has more touchdowns than he posted in 2022. The quarterback has 26 TDs in 2023 compared to 16 last season.
The veteran’s completion percentage is 66.4%. This is significantly higher than the 60.5% number in 2022. Most importantly, the Broncos have been in the playoff hunt this season.
Wilson’s improved play does not mean the quarterback is living up to the massive $242 million deal the star signed after being traded to Denver. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggests Wilson could sign a deal for the vet minimum in free agency. Wilson will still be getting a payday from the Broncos, even if released.
“Wilson will be able to go wherever he wants,” Florio wrote on December 27. “And, yes, a team will have to want him. If he’s willing to do a one-year minimum deal and take the balance from the Broncos, that makes him much more attractive than he otherwise would be.”
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Broncos Make Decision on Cutting Ex-Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: Report