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The Denver Broncos released Russell Wilson on March 5, 2024. The veteran quarterback is now a free agent and can sign with any team for a league-minimum contract.
After releasing Wilson, the Broncos will face a $85 million dead cap hit. The Broncos' trade for Wilson proved disastrous. After arriving in Denver, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback signed a five-year, $242.5 million contract extension with the Broncos, which was yet to kick in.
While some argue that the quarterback played well last season and should not have faced such criticism, Nick Wright recently pointed out that Wilson played like a 'bottom-eight quarterback in the league' last season. He said:
"Russ was playing a selfish style of quarterback where he was not making the best plays instead he was protecting that touchdown-interception ratio so folks would say things like, ‘Well last year he wasn't that bad, you know he only had one less touchdown and Patrick Mahomes’...
"I watched every game he played, he was awful, he was a bottom-eight quarterback in football last year. I think Russ was so bad his first year in Denver that people are now overstating his second year in Denver.
"They were a team that again had Jared Stidham as a backup, still, that's who they have as a backup, and they save no money next year by moving on from him and they're like no we're going to take a $39 and then a $46 million dead cap hit the next two seasons because we have to get you out.”
Nick Wright did make some valid points as Wilson certainly played safe football, which ultimately hurt the Broncos last season. As a result, Sean Payton benched him after 15 games and decided to part ways with him.
In the games that he played last season, Wilson threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a passer rating of 98.0. However, these stats didn't help the Broncos much, as they missed the playoffs and finished with a record of 8-9.
Nick Wright is uncertain about teams' pursuing Russell Wilson in free agency
During the same segment of First Things First, Chris Broussard floated the idea of Russell Wilson signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. Nick Wright was quick to shut that proposal as he believes the Raiders have seen enough of the former Broncos quarterback in the past two seasons to not pursue him in the free agency.
Wright said:
"I think the Raiders have played Russell Wilson four times last two years, they do not want him, anyone that has watched him closely doesn't want him... For a million bucks maybe, but then anyone that brings him in, he is competing for a job.”
According to the latest reports, the Pittsburgh Steelers have shown interest in signing Wilson and plan to meet him before the start of free agency. It is still uncertain whether he will end up playing for the Steelers, as the market for the 9-time Pro Bowler currently seems quite bleak.
