The looming divide between the Denver Broncos and quarterback Russell Wilson may be more complicated than ever.
Aftertrading Wilson for Jarrett Stidham last week, the 35-year-old QB revealed last week that the team threatened to bench him during the bye week unless he waived $37 million in injury guarantees for the 2025 season. March next year.
The move didn’t sit well with the NFLPA, which sent a letter to the Broncos last November informing them that threats against Wilson violated the collective bargaining agreement and could lead to legal action.Coach Sean Payton said Wilson’s move was based on performance and had nothing to do with his contract, but the league doesn’t understand that.
Now, Payton and the Broncos’ front office could spend the first part of the season in damage control, trying to rebuild their reputations after Wilson shared his side of the story.”Fifteen years ago, quarterbacks were quietly trying to recruit other teams,” an anonymous executive told The Athletic.
“If you do something bad to somebody like Wilson, it’s not going to happen. I think Sean got involved with the wrong guy because (Wilson) said that.Although nothing has been officially announced, the Broncos were expected to release Wilson in March before the injury occurred.
If released for assignment after Season 1, Wilson will cost $35.4 million over the cap.Denver is projected to be $18.1 million over the 2024 salary cap. Wilson’s release added $9.69 million to the team’s cap space after cutting Randy Gregory, Brandon McManus, Frank Clark and Montrell Washington for a total of $45.1 million.
