After two seasons, the Denver Broncos’ experiment with future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson has clearly failed. Now they expect to save money by cutting Wilson, which would free them from his massive contract, which has five years and $242.5 million remaining. The Las Vegas Raiders, one of the Broncos’ historic rivals in the AFC West, have a glimmer of hope after two disappointing seasons.
Former coach Josh McDaniels is long gone, and new coach Antonio Pearce is getting the thumbs up from his players despite his lack of experience. They have two wide receivers in Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers and Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby. But they don’t have a top quarterback, which leads some to believe they will go after Wilson. However, in a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine explained why this may be the wrong decision.”[The Raiders] can’t sign top prospects this year, so signing rebounder Russell Wilson could be an interesting proposition for them,” Ballentine wrote in a Jan. 25 column.
“But the Raiders have to consider what it would be like to pair Wilson with a first-year head coach. Wilson’s relationship with Nathaniel Hackett produced one of the veteran’s worst seasons.”Last season, Wilson had the worst year of his career after being traded to the Seattle Seahawks.
Denver went 5-12 and Hackett was fired, becoming offensive coordinator, this time with the New York Jets.Last season, Denver hired head coach Sean Payton, who once led Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl championship. The hiring led to optimism that the team would be competitive this fall, but despite Wilson playing much better, they went 8-9 and missed the playoffs again.
Ultimately, the Broncos lacked a skill player who could do anything meaningful, especially at 35 years old. The Raiders could be in a similar situation. Star Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing yards last year, will soon become a free agent and the team could lose him. Especially since his production has fallen off a cliff this season.
