Denver Broncos appear to be ready to make a run at 0-16 in 2024.

[Perd Hapley]

They have apparently already decided to cut Russell Wilson in March, and take a dead cap hit of….$85 MILLION. Good luck without all the other players they’re going to have to cut to make that work.

Truly bizarre situation. Wilson was really bad last year, but has been a lot better under Payton. They seem to be now pot committed to a total multi-year rebuild. Makes you wonder if the guy is just a locker room cancer.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

It's his contract etc. Something related to being injured and he's guaranteed money. They're making sure he stays healthy.

 

[7Dust]

This was done weeks ago because of a contract issue.The Broncos have about 10 players that are going to end up off the roster that would free up close to 67 mill and that's not adding in the restructures so there are always ways to play around with the cap.

 

[Perd Hapley]

It's his contract etc. Something related to being injured and he's guaranteed money. They're making sure he stays healthy.

The team saves $37 million in guaranteed money that he is owed if he is not injured but cut before the 2024 league year. But the dead cap hit does not change. They have to take an $85 million hit for cutting him before 6/1/2024. Which means they aren’t going to field a team worth a shít next year.

 

[eckie1]

Russell Wilson is a very strange use case of an NFL player. He started his career on a high note, with Pete Carroll when both were at their absolute best. Seemed like a lock for the HOF, and now it seems like he has absolutely no shot.

The guy must really love playing the game. Unless, he just really, really needs the money.

Weird.

 

[Perd Hapley]

Russell Wilson is a very strange use case of an NFL player. He started his career on a high note, with Pete Carroll when both were at their absolute best. Seemed like a lock for the HOF, and now it seems like he has absolutely no shot.

The guy must really love playing the game. Unless, he just really, really needs the money.

Weird.

He is still 8th in the NFL in passer rating this season, its not like he sucks that bad this year.

There has to be enormous problems between him and Payton or between him and the rest if the locker room….or both. An $85 million dead cap is an absolute death sentence….has to be the largest in NFL history. And thats not even considering the total reboot at the QB position you have to deal with.

 

[7Dust]

The team saves $37 million in guaranteed money that he is owed if he is not injured but cut before the 2024 league year. But the dead cap hit does not change. They have to take an $85 million hit for cutting him before 6/1/2024. Which means they aren’t going to field a team worth a shít next year.View attachment 491011

It just means the Broncos are going to have to pay a lot of guarantee money....https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profo...r for 2024,competitive team possible in 2024?

 

[7Dust]

He is still 8th in the NFL in passer rating this season, its not like he sucks that bad this year.

There has to be enormous problems between him and Payton or between him and the rest if the locker room….or both. An $85 million dead cap is an absolute death sentence….has to be the largest in NFL history. And thats not even considering the total reboot at the QB position you have to deal with.

Wilson hasn't been liked in the locker room since he came to Denver....he's played very average this year better than last year but still average..if the run game isn't on he's toast.

 

[Perd Hapley]

This was done weeks ago because of a contract issue.The Broncos have about 10 players that are going to end up off the roster that would free up close to 67 mill and that's not adding in the restructures so there are always ways to play around with the cap.

When it was set into motion is less relevant as to why it was set in motion.

Even if Wilson isn’t your guy, its only a $35 million hit to keep him on the roster as a backup or whatever. Its an $85 million hit to cut him. That’s $50 million the Broncos would have available for other players - with Wilson still on the roster - that is now gone.

That’s a king’s ransom of a sacrifice just to get a guy out of your clubhouse, which is why there’s gotta be a back story with there being enormous friction between Wilson and somebody or multiple somebodies.

 

[7Dust]

When it was set into motion is less relevant as to why it was set in motion.

Even if Wilson isn’t your guy, its only a $35 million hit to keep him on the roster as a backup or whatever. Its an $85 million hit to cut him. That’s $50 million the Broncos would have available for other players - with Wilson still on the roster - that is now gone.

That’s a king’s ransom of a sacrifice just to get a guy out of your clubhouse, which is why there’s gotta be a back story with there being enormous friction between Wilson and somebody or multiple somebodies.

"The biggest takeaway from Wednesday’s stunning news that the Broncos have benched quarterback Russell Wilson is that the Broncos will release him before another $37 million in future salary flips from guaranteed for injury to fully guaranteed. That will need to happen between the first day of the waiver period (right after the Super Bowl) and the fifth day of the league year, which begins on March 13."

He's not well liked in the locker room....and you added that with his play as well as this...
"the Broncos approached Wilson in late October threatening to deactivate the nine-time Pro Bowler if he didn't strike the gargantuan injury guarantees built into his $245 million contract — the very same guarantees that led to his demotion for the final two games of the regular season.

The request "shocked" Wilson, per Schultz, and "the two sides got into a major dispute on how to proceed."

"When the threat was made by the Broncos, the team, Wilson's camp, the NFLPA, and another unknown party were involved in negotiations that ended with no change in Wilson’s contract," Schultz added."

and you have your answer.

 

[Perd Hapley]

"The biggest takeaway from Wednesday’s stunning news that the Broncos have benched quarterback Russell Wilson is that the Broncos will release him before another $37 million in future salary flips from guaranteed for injury to fully guaranteed. That will need to happen between the first day of the waiver period (right after the Super Bowl) and the fifth day of the league year, which begins on March 13."

He's not well liked in the locker room....and you added that with his play as well as this...
"the Broncos approached Wilson in late October threatening to deactivate the nine-time Pro Bowler if he didn't strike the gargantuan injury guarantees built into his $245 million contract — the very same guarantees that led to his demotion for the final two games of the regular season.

The request "shocked" Wilson, per Schultz, and "the two sides got into a major dispute on how to proceed."

"When the threat was made by the Broncos, the team, Wilson's camp, the NFLPA, and another unknown party were involved in negotiations that ended with no change in Wilson’s contract," Schultz added."

and you have your answer.

So it sounds like the Broncos royally 17ed themselves, then. They signed him to the deal. Regardless of whether he’s well liked or not, why in the hell would he agree to far worse terms for himself than what was already in the deal in the event of injury?

They made it ten times more toxic than it already was with that attempted move, and painted themselves into a corner to where they had to cut him. Elway’s running a clown show up there.

 

[7Dust]

So it sounds like the Broncos royally 17ed themselves, then. They signed him to the deal. Regardless of whether he’s well liked or not, why in the hell would he agree to far worse terms for himself than what was already in the deal in the event of injury?

They made it ten times more toxic than it already was with that attempted move, and painted themselves into a corner to where they had to cut him. Elway’s running a clown show up there.

Elway didn't make this deal..he's not in the front office anymore.The Broncos were trying to reduce his salary and cap hit...he didn't want to do that.Why would it be more toxic from the Broncos end?He made decision much easier for them....he was going to be cut either way...this was a play to save cap money.

 

[Perd Hapley]

Elway didn't make this deal..he's not in the front office anymore.The Broncos were trying to reduce his salary and cap hit...he didn't want to do that.Why would it be more toxic from the Broncos end?He made decision much easier for them....he was going to be cut either way...this was a play to save cap money.

Its pretty damn toxic when you sign a QB to a deal that guarantees him money in the event of injury, then try to renege on that part of it only 18 months down the road. No QB in the league is going to ever agree to that.

This is all crazy because Denver was much improved this season from the Nathaniel Hackett debacle, they are still mathematically in the playoff hunt, and the $37 million Wilson was due in 2025 isn’t even that much compared to what others around the league are making. Yet they are deciding to completely blow everything up. Its a bad look for their front office.

And it wasn’t a play to save cap money. It was a play to save real money owed to Wilson. They still have to take the $89 million cap hit, regardless of whether he gets his $37 million guaranteed for 2025 or not.

 

[ronpolk]

He is still 8th in the NFL in passer rating this season, its not like he sucks that bad this year.

There has to be enormous problems between him and Payton or between him and the rest if the locker room….or both. An $85 million dead cap is an absolute death sentence….has to be the largest in NFL history. And thats not even considering the total reboot at the QB position you have to deal with.

Reading between the lines on different quotes from Payton, he clearly feels Wilson is limiting the offense. I don’t know if Wilson can’t grasp the offense or maybe he has a skill limitation. I’ll admit it’s very odd. His stats aren’t terrible but maybe that’s more of a credit to Payton limiting the offense to only what Wilson does well. The Super Bowl teams from Seattle where Wilson was the QB were absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball, so maybe it was less about Wilson. I thought it was pretty telling that Seattle was willing to let him leave. That’s pretty rare with Super Bowl winning QB.

 

[7Dust]

Its pretty damn toxic when you sign a QB to a deal that guarantees him money in the event of injury, then try to renege on that part of it only 18 months down the road. No QB in the league is going to ever agree to that.

This is all crazy because Denver was much improved this season from the Nathaniel Hackett debacle, they are still mathematically in the playoff hunt, and the $37 million Wilson was due next season isn’t even that much compared to what others around the league are making. Yet they are deciding to completely blow everything up. Its a bad look for their front office.

And it wasn’t a play to save cap money. It was a play to save real money owed to Wilson. They still have to take the $89 million cap hit, regardless of whether he gets his $37 million guaranteed or not.

It was both...cap and money owed they've been talking about it in Denver media for a few days now...I'm a Broncos fan.The odds of Wilson starting next year was low even with a low salary.

 

[7Dust]

Reading between the lines on different quotes from Payton, he clearly feels Wilson is limiting the offense. I don’t know if Wilson can’t grasp the offense or maybe he has a skill limitation. I’ll admit it’s very odd. His stats aren’t terrible but maybe that’s more of a credit to Payton limiting the offense to only what Wilson does well. The Super Bowl teams from Seattle where Wilson was the QB were absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball, so maybe it was less about Wilson. I thought it was pretty telling that Seattle was willing to let him leave. That’s pretty rare with Super Bowl winning QB.

It's a vastly limited offense.If the run game isn't on we're toast.

 

[ronpolk]

It's a vastly limited offense.If the run game isn't on we're toast.

I figured that was the case. I’ve really only watched them play one game this year. And that was when they played Miami. I’m a dolphins fan but that game was just a disaster on all phases for Denver, so I figure that was not a good game to base Payton’s progress with the offense

 

[Dawgzilla2]

0-16? What do you think will happen in that 17th game?

 

[Perd Hapley]

It was both...cap and money owed they've been talking about it in Denver media for a few days now...I'm a Broncos fan.The odds of Wilson starting next year was low even with a low salary.

It is absolutely not both. The only cap “saving” opportunity they have is to take some of the hit in 2025 instead of taking it all in 2024. They can choose either of those two crappy options. But in either case, they have to eat that entire $85 million against the cap.

Wilson was paid $57 million in 2022, but only counted $17 million against the cap. He was paid $28 million in 2023 but only counted $22 million against the cap. That’s $46 million that didn’t hit the cap that has to hit at some point either during or at the end of his deal. Then his 2024 salary of $39 million is fully guaranteed, so that plus the $46 million equals $85 million. They aren’t saving anything against the cap.

The RW trade and contract was pretty bad to begin with, and they are now doubling down on stupid. Its not likely to end well, there’s no two ways about it.

 

[Perd Hapley]

0-16? What do you think will happen in that 17th game?

Jarrett Stidham will outduel the 4th string QB for the Chiefs when they are resting all key players once clinching playoff homefield***